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12 Jan 2024

Petrobras Rules Out Investing in Solar, Wind Projects Outside Brazil

12 Jan 2024  by reuters   

Francisco da Silva Vale, 61, cleans solar panels which power ice machines at Vila Nova do Amana community in the Sustainable Development Reserve, in Amazonas state, Brazil, September 22, 2015. Picture taken September 22. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Brazil's state run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) has ruled out investing in wind and solar power abroad, deciding instead to focus on building a portfolio of local greenfield projects, energy transition head Mauricio Tolmasquim told Reuters on Wednesday.

Last year, Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates said the company was analyzing the potential purchase of a minority stake in offshore wind farms outside Brazil.

The shift to local renewable projects meets the ideas President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has for the company, with a focus on creating local jobs and enhancing the energy transition in Brazil.

By 2028, the firm will invest $5.2 billion in solar and wind power with an initial focus on onshore plants, while researching the development of offshore wind in Brazil, executives said when they unveiled Petrobras' new business plan in November.

Petrobras presented last year its first studies for offshore wind, in partnership with Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL).

Petrobras expects the Brazilian government to hold its first auction for offshore wind areas this year, Tolmasquim said in an interview.

Brazil had aimed to pass a regulatory framework for offshore wind and green hydrogen by the end of this year, its energy minister told Reuters in June.

Most of the firm's renewable power generation portfolio will be greenfield, but around 20% will be made up of projects already operating, the executive added.

Many of the projects will be done in partnerships with other firms, said Tolmasquim, adding that Petrobras' stake in most of them will be 50% or lower.

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