WavEC Offshore Renewables has issued a call for urgent action to accelerate the development of Portugal's offshore wind industry, stressing that clear policy direction, financial certainty and industrial readiness must be aligned as a matter of priority.
The announcement follows the success of WavEC's 2025 Annual Seminar, held on December 4 at Lisbon's Museu do Oriente, bringing together policymakers, investors, researchers, and industry leaders from Portugal, Brazil and the European Union.
WavEC CEO Marco Alves said that despite its vast offshore wind potential, Portugal risks falling behind unless it moves swiftly from planning to execution. Immediate investment in regulatory clarity, port infrastructure, fabrication yards and supply-chain development is essential to create a competitive domestic offshore wind industry and attract international capital, he added.
"Portugal stands at a decisive inflection point," said Mr Alves. "We have the science, the engineering talent and the natural resources to become a global leader in floating offshore wind, but ambition alone is not enough. The viewpoint from experts at this year's seminar was clear. We need bold coordinated action in specific areas including enforceable regulatory frameworks, predictable financing mechanisms and rapid industrial deployment. Every month we delay is a lost opportunity to capture global investment, create high-skilled jobs and position Portugal as a pioneer of a transatlantic offshore wind corridor. This is our moment and we must act decisively, together, to turn potential into reality."
The WavEC Lisbon 2025 event co-organised by the Embassy of Brazil was titled "Portugal and Brazil: Transatlantic Alliance to Boost Floating Wind". It reinforced the strategic importance of Portugal-Brazil cooperation focusing on shared investment, R&D collaboration and the creation of deep-water offshore wind corridors across the Atlantic.
The presence of Brazilian government and industry figures underscored the significance of the Portugal-Brazil alliance with the opening session featuring Raimundo Carreiro, Brazilian Ambassador to Portugal; Alexandre Santos, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG); and Sérgio Coelho, Deputy Secretary of State for Energy Affairs at Rio de Janeiro, State Secretariat for Energy and the Blue Economy (SEENEMAR).
Experts speaking in the four seminar sessions outlined concrete steps needed to turn ambition into reality:
- In the Investment & Financing session, voices including Daniela Ribeiro (DNV), Cristina Ortuño (ERM Iberia), Jean-Paul Prates (CERNE), Elbia Gannoum (ABEEólica), and Pedro Amaral Jorge (APREN) stressed the need for stable, predictable regulatory frameworks and tailored public-private financing instruments to de-risk floating wind investments.
- During the Industrial & Supply-Chain session, speakers David Carrascosa (SAITEC), Javier Abanades (TYPSA Offshore Energy), Pablo Alcón Valero (Qair Offshore Iberia), Sofia Simões (LNEG), Henrique Osorio (Firjan) and Nuno Vaz (TechnipFMC) called for early investment in fabrication yards, port infrastructure and optimised offshore logistics, all of which are essential building blocks for competitive project deployment and the development of domestic value chains.
- In the Innovation & Technology session, Andreia Fernandes (ATE - Aliança para a Transição Energética), Anita Leite GAZELLE Wind Power, Manuel Rocha (CorPower Ocean), André de Almeida Santos (Indico Capital) and Ricardo Pereira (WavEC Offshore Renewables) underlined the importance of scaling up demonstration projects, hybrid solutions (wave plus wind), digital operations and R&D collaboration, all critical to lowering costs and improving the bankability of offshore wind. The EU-funded WinDTwin project was highlighted as a model to follow.
- Meanwhile, during the Environmental & Social Pathways session, speakers from environmental licensing bodies and marine ecosystem specialists such as Domingos Leitão (STRIX International), Alexandra Silva and Pedro Brito (IPMA), Sérgio Iani Godinho (Veritas Group), João Silva Rodrigues (SGS) and Thomaz Xavier (Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation - RCGI) outlined best practices for sustainable deep-water deployment, stressing the importance of robust environmental impact assessments, meaningful stakeholder engagement and clear, predictable regulation.
Portugal has significant offshore wind potential, with technical estimates of 25-30 GW, mainly in deep waters suitable for floating wind. Key preparatory steps have already been taken, including approval of the PAER (Offshore Renewable Energy Zoning Plan), which designates areas off Viana do Castelo, Leixões, Figueira da Foz and Sines for floating projects, and the PNEC (National Energy and Climate Plan) target of 2 GW of offshore wind by 2030, positioning the sector as a key pillar of the country's decarbonisation strategy.
The seminar also spotlighted Brazil's rapidly evolving offshore wind ambitions. Brazil's technical potential exceeds 1,200 GW, with roughly 480 GW from fixed foundations (waters <70 m deep) and 748 GW from floating foundations (70-1,000 m depth). According to World Bank/DNV analysis, Brazil could install 16 GW by 2050 in a base scenario, 32 GW in an intermediate scenario, and up to 96 GW in an ambitious scenario, enough to provide nearly 20% of the country's electricity generation, create over 500,000 jobs and generate roughly US$168 billion in gross value added.
Seminar participants emphasized that coordinated regulatory, financial, and industrial strategies between Portugal and Brazil could establish a competitive Atlantic floating wind corridor, combining Brazil's abundant resources with Portuguese and European technical expertise and investment capacity.
Sponsors & Strategic Partners included: Gold Sponsor: ATE - Aliança para a Transição Energética. Sponsors: ISQ, Miranda & Associados, DNV, ETERMAR Energia, ERM Iberia, Grupo ETE, MDS. Strategic Partners: Qair Offshore, TYPSA Offshore Energy. Supported by the EU-funded WinDTwin project.
For more information about the WavEC Lisbon 2025 event: www.wavec.org/en/seminar
