Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this month signed a long-awaited law authorizing offshore wind farms, allowing the country—whose wind farms are currently all on land—to greatly expand its renewable-energy production potential and portfolio. President Lula signed the law on Jan. 10, and the legislation took effect the next day upon its publication in the official register. Brazil’s Senate had approved the legislation in December 2024 after it had cleared the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, in November 2023, in both cases by wide margins. The law enables development of wind farms from Brazil’s coast to the outer boundary of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), 200 nautical miles (230 miles, or 370 kms) offshore. Government auctions of offshore wind-concessions will be conducted in two ways. In the more common method, wind-development blocks will be delineated based on government studies. The... [Log in to read more]