Neoenergia, a subsidiary of the Iberdrola group in Brazil, and the government of Rio Grande do Norte sign a memorandum of understanding for offshore wind projects

Neoenergia, a subsidiary of Brazil's Iberdrola group, and the government of Rio Grande do Norte signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to develop studies for offshore wind power generation in the state's coastal region. The agreement also provides for cooperation and mutual exchange in the socio-economic, environmental, technical and regulatory fields.   

The signing took place during the 14th edition of Brazil Windpower, the largest wind energy event in Latin America, held this week in São Paulo.  

"This is another partnership in line with Neoenergia's strategy. We are key players in Brazil's energy transition. We believe that new business opportunities must be driven by decarbonisation, innovation and the development of new technologies to generate clean, safe and reliable energy," said Eduardo Capelastegui, CEO of Neoenergia.

Capelastegui said that the first step in the growth of the offshore wind market in Brazil is the definition of a regulatory framework for the new sector. "This is fundamental for the development of the industrial chain with added value and the enhancement of the socio-environmental attributes of the source. We also believe that the framework will be important for legal and regulatory certainty and predictability for investors", he added.  

The governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra, said that the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Neoenergia was part of a series of discussions and meetings with the company.   

"It has always been our intention to keep Rio Grande do Norte at the forefront of clean energy production in Brazil and this will be done through mutual interests as, for example, what the Neoenergia Group has demonstrated through the exchange of information and technical missions involving teams from Neoenergia and the State Government. As a result, this protocol will be very important in enabling us to continue these conversations, particularly for the development of offshore projects, as well as logistical support for port infrastructures", said Governor Fátima Bezerra.  

This is the fourth memorandum of understanding signed by Neoenergia for the development of offshore wind projects in the country. The company is carrying out studies to assess the feasibility of developing offshore wind projects in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and Ceará.   

Neoenergia has been a pioneer in the development of wind power generation in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The company has 11 wind farms in the state: Calango, Mel, Arizona and Rio do Fogo, which became operational in 2006. Through Neoenergia Cosern, the company serves around 1.5 million customers in the distribution sector.

Neoenergia currently has an installed production capacity of 5.2 GW, 90% of which is renewable energy, and is developing a further 200 MW with the completion of onshore wind farms.  

* Neoenergia, S.A. is indirectly owned 50% + 1 share by Iberdrola, S.A.