OWA | Corio investing in Brazilian offshore wind, where is it now?

Corio Generation, a multinational offshore wind developer, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Estaleiros do Brasil EBR. The two sides will jointly evaluate the suitability of EBR's shipbuilding and construction facilities as potential bases for the offshore wind hub in South Brazil.

According to the MOU, the two parties will study how EBR's existing infrastructure can support two planned offshore wind projects in southern Brazil, namely the Casino Offshore Wind project with an installed capacity of more than 1,200 MW and the Rio Grande Offshore Wind Project. There is also the possibility of entering into commercial negotiations to reserve some areas for advancing the development of these projects.

EBR's shipyard, located near Puerto Rio Grande in southern Brazil, covers an area of approximately 1.7 million square meters and has extensive facilities, primarily used to build floating platforms for the oil and gas industry. Wataru Nosaka, CEO of EBR, said: "Offshore wind projects have many synergies with the oil and gas industry in terms of operations, maintenance, logistics and port infrastructure. Our shipyards have a long history in southern Brazil, so we value the opportunity to jointly assess the potential of an offshore wind hub in southern Brazil."

Corio Sustainable Energy plans to partner with Brazilian onshore wind company Servtec to develop five fixed-base offshore wind farms in Brazil with a total installed capacity of up to 6 GW. Four of the projects, totaling about 4.8 GW, are located in the southern and southeastern coastal regions of Brazil.