junho, 22 2026

By Ana Paula Jachelli, WWF-Brazil 
 

On January 10, 2025, Law No. 15,097 was enacted, establishing the foundations for the concession and development of offshore wind energy in Brazilian waters. In 2026, with the regulation of this new framework under discussion, WWF-Brazil is advocating a crucial approach: integrated planning that incorporates trade-offs with other sectors, and that considers alternatives for where to build must come before capital allocation. This means the government should map the best location options and assess the balance between energy gains and impacts on other sectors before making decisions. 

This was precisely the position the organization brought to the debates at the Brazil Offshore Wind Summit 2026, held in Rio de Janeiro on June 16. Organized by the Brazilian Wind Energy and New Technologies Association (ABEEólica) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the event served as a strategic forum to discuss the regulation of the new law, the site selection process, necessary infrastructure, assessment of market needs, social license to operate, and next steps for implementing the sector in the country. The multi-sector debate brought together energy industry leaders and government authorities, including representatives from the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), the Energy Research Company (EPE), as well as investors, experts, and major companies operating in the field. 

The event took place at a key moment in Brazil’s offshore wind agenda. With the sector still in its formative stage, decisions made now will shape its expansion over the coming decades. For Alexandre Gross, Infrastructure and Energy Transition lead at WWF-Brazil, the predictability required for investment depends on the quality and sequencing of public decisions. 

“It is not only a matter of engineering or energy potential, which is undeniable. It is also a matter of sequencing and decision quality. We need planning tools that identify intersectoral, socio-environmental, and territorial conflicts early in the decision-making cycle, rather than leaving this responsibility solely to environmental licensing,” Gross says. 

Planning as a viability filter 

WWF-Brazil argues that identifying conflicts and sensitivities should occur at the earliest stages of planning, before areas are offered and projects are consolidated. Tools such as Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and the EPE Area Selection Methodology should jointly consider environmentally sensitive zones and existing established activities—such as fishing, navigation, tourism, and infrastructure. This early analysis provides a socio-economic comparative perspective that goes beyond purely energy potential, improving public decision-making, increasing market predictability, and avoiding the transfer of disputes to the environmental licensing phase. 

For these tools to fulfill their role, however, it is essential to expand the production, integration, and access to high-quality public data. Beyond simply making information available, the government must ensure full transparency regarding the criteria and weights used in selecting these areas. Without this clarity, there is a risk of prioritizing regions simply because more data is available for them, rather than because they are the most suitable or least conflict-prone. 

Beyond financial logic 

One of the key points of WWF-Brazil’s participation in the event was the proposal to include non-financial criteria in future area auctions. The goal is for project selection not to be based solely on the highest energy-financial return—i.e., the direct relationship between energy output and economic gain—but also to include social, environmental, territorial, and productive development parameters. In practice, this means assessing the potential for local job creation, integration with national industrial supply chains, and compatibility of wind farms with different marine uses, such as conservation and artisanal and industrial fishing activities. 

This approach can reduce the risk of conflicts, lawsuits, delays, and loss of legitimacy, while encouraging projects that are more aligned with the characteristics of the territories where they will be implemented. 

“Anticipating decisions and addressing conflicts when there is still room to adjust location, scale, and project design makes the process more predictable and secure for everyone. Better planning at the beginning reduces costs and uncertainties in later stages,” Gross concludes. 

WWF-Brazil continues its work producing evidence and technical recommendations to influence sectors and governments, advocating that Brazil’s energy transition be guided by socio-environmental quality and responsibility, not only by generation volume. With the offshore wind industry still emerging, the design of current rules will determine whether the sector’s development will be truly safe for the economy, national development, biodiversity, and territorial integrity.