Dune-buggy fears halt work at Tractebel wind farm in Brazil

Utility Tractebel Energia has been told to stop work on a wind-farm project in Brazil – partly on the grounds that it would harm the trade in dune-buggy rentals to tourists.

A judge ordered an immediate halt to construction of the 25MW Trairi wind farm on a “sunset dune” site in Flecheiras, Ceará state, after backing a lawsuit claiming it would damage a natural asset and the local economy.

The lawsuit is the latest escalation of an increasingly aggressive campaign by the federal prosecutor’s office in Ceará, which has gone after several wind farm projects being built on sand dunes, forcing developers away from the coastline and further inland where capacity factors are lower.

Another three 30MW wind farms are being built by Tractebel…

Become a Recharge subscriber!

Or try our free trial.

Order Subscription

Already a member?

Login