THE NEWS

According to Offshore Engineer, the classification society DNV has updated its recommended practice covering seismic design for both onshore and offshore wind power plants. The revision introduces enhanced guidance on the subject, though the full scope of the changes was not detailed in the available source material.

The update applies to wind energy infrastructure across both installation environments, indicating that DNV is treating seismic risk as a design consideration relevant to the offshore wind sector broadly — not solely to land-based installations in high-seismicity zones.

DNV's recommended practices carry significant weight in the offshore energy industry, frequently informing project specifications, certification pathways, and regulatory frameworks adopted by national authorities.

WHY IT MATTERS

For readers whose primary focus is the Brazilian deepwater oil and gas sector, a DNV guidance update on wind seismic design may appear peripheral. The Brazilian relevance is, at this stage, indirect — but it is not negligible, particularly for those tracking the longer arc of offshore energy diversification in the country.

Brazil's offshore wind ambitions are concentrated along the northeastern coastline and, in emerging discussions, in deeper waters where floating offshore wind (FOW) concepts are being evaluated. The seismic profile of Brazilian coastal waters is generally considered low compared to Pacific Rim or Mediterranean environments. However, as DNV updates its recommended practices, those documents become reference points for project developers, lenders, and insurers operating globally — including in Brazil. Engineering teams designing Brazilian offshore wind projects will be expected to demonstrate awareness of, and where applicable compliance with, the current state of DNV guidance.

The more immediate structural read is about the maturation of the offshore wind sector as a technical discipline. When a major classification society revises its seismic design guidance, it signals that the knowledge base is advancing — that real-world installation experience, structural monitoring data, and updated geotechnical models are being incorporated into normative documents. This is the normal cycle of any maturing offshore technology: field experience feeds back into standards, which then shape the next generation of projects.

For Brazilian regulators and standards bodies — notably ABNT and the agencies that will eventually certify offshore wind structures in Brazilian waters — this DNV revision is worth monitoring. Brazil has historically aligned its offshore certification frameworks with international classification society practices, particularly for novel asset classes where domestic precedent is limited. The DNV update may inform how Brazilian regulatory guidance eventually takes shape for offshore wind, especially if floating wind projects advance toward the permitting stage.

Supply chain and engineering consultancies operating across both the oil and gas and offshore wind sectors in Brazil should also note the update. Firms with structural engineering capabilities relevant to fixed or floating offshore structures — experience that is abundant in Brazil's oil and gas supply chain — may find that alignment with current DNV seismic practice strengthens their positioning as the offshore wind market develops. The technical adjacency between mooring systems, foundation design, and structural load analysis is real, even if the commercial timelines for Brazilian offshore wind remain uncertain.

Finally, the update is a reminder that the offshore wind sector's normative infrastructure continues to develop in parallel with the oil and gas sector's own — and that classification societies remain central to both. For senior professionals in the Brazilian offshore market, tracking DNV's evolving recommended practices across energy types is part of staying current with the regulatory environment that will govern future projects, regardless of energy source.

CONTEXT

DNV has been progressively expanding and refining its offshore wind recommended practices over recent years, reflecting the sector's shift from shallow nearshore installations toward larger, more complex structures in more demanding environments. Seismic loading is one of several design challenge areas — alongside fatigue, corrosion, and dynamic cable management — where offshore wind design practice continues to converge with the more established engineering frameworks of the oil and gas sector.

For Brazil specifically, the offshore wind regulatory framework remains in early development. The country's oil and gas certification experience, built over decades of pre-salt deepwater operations, provides a strong technical foundation — but offshore wind introduces distinct structural, environmental, and grid-integration considerations that will require their own normative development over time.