A Structured Route from Concept to Auction
The Ministry of Mines and Energy has released a standardised procedure to select areas for offshore wind generation. It is based on a methodology developed by the Energy Research Office (EPE). The guidance links directly to Brazil’s new legal framework for offshore power. This framework is anchored in Law 15,097/2025 and CNPE Resolution No. 1/2026. These instruments define how offshore areas will be granted under planned and permanent offer regimes.
The EPE methodology organises marine spatial planning into three integrated stages. Stage I identifies potential regions by applying legal exclusions and technological limits. These filters screen out zones with higher conflict and lower feasibility. Criteria include consistency with navigation rules, overlaps with oil and gas exploration blocks, and basic grid-connection viability.
Stage II defines areas of interest by tightening the filter through socio-environmental sensitivity. It also checks compatibility with other maritime uses such as shipping, fishing and tourism. This step is designed to balance offshore wind with wider ocean economy priorities. It also aims to cut the risk of later licensing bottlenecks or local opposition.
Stage III prioritises areas using a multi-criteria analysis across technical, economic, logistical and socio-environmental dimensions. It uses an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to rank blocks. This creates a transparent hierarchy of zones that can feed into concession rounds. It also allows the granting authority to adjust choices to match each tender’s policy goals.
Participatory Design and Global Benchmarks
The methodology was shaped through a participatory process led by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. It incorporated Public Consultation No. 191/2025 and inputs from a dedicated Offshore Wind Working Group. Industry, environmental bodies and other agencies contributed to the final technical note. That note now guides how marine blocks will be prepared for future auctions.
EPE built the framework to be flexible and updatable. It can absorb new data, technology changes and lessons from early projects. The design draws on international benchmarks from Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Colombia. This aligns Brazil’s approach with mature offshore wind markets and emerging peers. International referencing should help reduce perceived regulatory risk for global developers and lenders.
However, the guidance does not pre-define which regions will be offered in the first auction. Final decisions on auctioned areas remain with the granting authority. That authority will weigh national energy policy, transmission planning, port readiness and objectives for each round. This includes possible industrial or regional-development goals. Market expectations currently point to Brazil’s first offshore area auction around 2027. That timeline assumes the implementing decree for Law 15,097/2025 is issued and agency roles are fully operational.
For investors, the new methodology moves Brazil offshore wind from a high-potential but uncertain opportunity into a more bankable planning phase. Developers now have clearer visibility on how sites will be screened. They also have better insight into how socio-environmental issues will enter the process and how multi-criteria ranking will shape concession pipelines. Further detail on the framework is available via this industry analysis. The next signal to watch will be the government’s choice of initial auction blocks and timelines. Those choices will show how fast Brazil intends to convert its vast offshore resource into projects and where early capital is likely to concentrate along the coast.
