Study goals
Analyze institutional barriers hindering foreign investment in Brazilian offshore wind energy, mapping regulatory, environmental, and financial obstacles, comparing with international experiences, and proposing recommendations to strengthen legal certainty and enhance the sector’s global competitiveness.
Relevance / originality
The study is relevant for aligning Brazil’s natural potential with a secure institutional environment, emphasizing the need to overcome regulatory and fiscal barriers to transform comparative advantages into competitive ones, positioning Brazil as a global leader in clean energy markets.
Methodology / approach
The research adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, based on literature review and document analysis of legislation, institutional reports, and environmental standards. Data were examined using thematic analysis, grounded in North’s institutional theory, assessing regulatory security and investment attractiveness.
Main results
Findings reveal that regulatory uncertainty, environmental bureaucracy, and lack of fiscal incentives reduce Brazil’s attractiveness for foreign investment, undermining competitiveness compared to other countries, despite natural advantages such as constant winds and an extensive maritime coastline.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
The study advances by applying North’s Institutional Theory to the offshore wind context, showing how institutions shape FDI attraction. Documental and thematic analysis provide methodological contributions to understanding interactions between regulatory environment, institutional efficiency, and international competitiveness.
Social / management contributions
Provides insights for policymakers and managers to modernize licensing, expand fiscal incentives, and strengthen regulatory security. Socially, it highlights job creation, diversification of the energy matrix, and Brazil’s positioning as a strategic actor in the global energy transition.