Thirteen proposed offshore wind projects with a combined capacity of 33 GW could obstruct coastal shipping and access to Porto do Açu in northern Rio de Janeiro state if built at their submitted locations, a Brazilian naval official warned on October 19.
Captain Rodrigo Carvalho, coastal management adviser to the Interministerial Commission for Sea Resources (CIRM), told a port planning seminar in Rio de Janeiro that the projects' positions would block cabotage navigation and port access, making the port's operation unviable.
The projects are undergoing environmental licensing by Brazilian environmental agency Ibama.
Carvalho presented the conflict as a case study in marine spatial planning, which he said aims to reconcile 64 activities competing for space in Brazil's maritime jurisdiction.
"This case study demonstrates the importance of marine spatial planning for the country, so that a new activity, such as wind power, does not affect another that has been established for so long," he said, according to seminar organiser Praticagem do Brasil.
Brazil's offshore wind legislation, enacted in January 2025, prohibits offshore energy areas that coincide with navigation routes.
A June 2025 decree requires completion of the country's first marine spatial plan by 2030.
Porto do Açu handled 89 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, including 220 million barrels of crude oil exported through its transshipment terminal.
