BNDES and Navy will map economic potential of the Brazilian coast

Starting in December, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Brazilian Navy will begin mapping that will allow the country to understand the economic vocation of the entire Brazilian coast, a region that covers an area of ​​around 5. 7 million square kilometers. The initial phase of the project called “Marine Spatial Planning” (PEM), will be in the South Region, which covers the coasts of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná.

In addition to detailing natural and mineral resources, BNDES points out that the study will be an important step towards economic development, environmental preservation and also national sovereignty. Confirmation of the project also meets the commitments made by Brazil in 2017, during the International Ocean Conference. At the time, Brazil committed to implementing the PEM along its entire coast by 2030.

The choice of the South of the country was based on technical criteria defined by the Interministerial Commission for Sea Resources (CIRM). According to the board, this is a border region where there are already requests to use the space to generate offshore wind energy (the energy source of which is obtained through the force of the wind on the high seas); in addition to five established ports – Rio Grande (RS), Itajaí (SC), Navegantes (SC), São Francisco do Sul (SC) and Paranaguá (PR)); fishing activity and being a migration corridor for marine species in the South Atlantic.

Still in 2022, at the beginning of the work schedule, the BNDES highlighted that planning was the great “driving engine” of a country’s blue economy, as it simultaneously provides legal security, essential for investors; the generation of jobs and foreign exchange for the coastal State.

The project will cost R$7 million and, according to the cooperation agreement signed with the Brazilian Navy, BNDES will finance the studies on a non-refundable basis and will also take care of their alignment with impacted sectors.