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Neoenergia, a subsidiary of the Iberdrola Group in Brazil, and the Government of Rio Grande do Norte signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday to develop studies for the production of offshore wind generation in the coastal region of the state. The agreement also includes mutual cooperation and exchange actions involving socioeconomic, environmental, technical and regulatory aspects.
Last week, Neoenergia and the Rio Grande do Norte Government inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the 14th edition of Brazil Windpower.
“This is another partnership that is in line with Neoenergia’s strategy. We are protagonists of the energy transition in Brazil. We believe that new business opportunities are guided by decarbonization, innovation and the development of new technologies to generate clean, safe and reliable energy,” said Eduardo Capelastegui, CEO of Neoenergia. Capelastegui emphasized that the initial stride toward expanding the offshore wind energy sector in Brazil involves establishing a regulatory framework for this emerging segment. “This is fundamental for the development of the industrial chain with added value and the valuation of the socio-environmental attributes of the source. We also consider that the framework will be important for legal and regulatory certainty and predictability for investors,” he further added.
Governor Fátima Bezerra of Rio Grande do Norte highlighted that the MoU signing with Neoenergia marks another step in an ongoing series of discussions and meetings with the company.
“It has always been our intention to keep Rio Grande do Norte in the Brazilian leadership in the production of clean energy, and this will happen through mutual interests, such as what the Neoenergia Group has demonstrated through the exchange of information and technical missions involving Neoenergia teams and those of the State Government. Therefore, this memorandum will be very important for us to segment these conversations, especially for the development of offshore projects, in addition to logistical support for port infrastructure,” noted Governor Fátima Bezerra.
This marks Neoenergia’s fourth memorandum of understanding for offshore wind projects in Brazil. They are actively assessing project feasibility in Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and Ceará. Neoenergia has a pioneering history in wind power generation in Rio Grande do Norte, boasting 11 wind farms, including Calango, Mel, Arizona, and Rio do Fogo, operational since 2006. Through Neoenergia Cosern, the company serves around 1.5 million distribution segment customers. With 5.2 GW of installed generation capacity, of which 90% is renewable energy, Neoenergia is also adding 200 MW through onshore wind farm completion.
