The Brazilian government’s Energy Research Enterprise (EPE) has approved 3.931GW of wind energy projects for the forthcoming Alternative Sources (known as FA) auction, which is set to take place on 27 April.
The majority of the projects are located in the northern states of Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, and Ceara, with completion of the wind farms due in 2017.
A total of 4.253GW of projects have been approved to take part in the auction, with biomass plants making up the rest of the capacity.
The Brazilian wind energy association (ABEEólica) estimates that Brazil will contract 4GW of wind energy in at least three auctions this year, almost double the average 2.3GW contracted annually since 2009, when the country’s highly successful energy auction system began.
The system has consistently seen wind power win capacity at prices well below gas powered generation projects.