Energy giants accused of 'land-grabbing' for wind projects in Brazil

March 14, 2025

The push for clean, renewable energies by energy companies has led to accusations by locals of ‘land-grabbing’ in the north-east of Brazil. 

Residents of the Umburanas municipality in Bahia state claim that both Enel and Maestro Holding de Energia have used aggressive tactics to gain access to public land to develop a €450 million wind farm. 

While Umburanas covers an area of over 1.7 million square km, it has a resident population of around 14,000, which includes a number of indigenous and Quilombola community groups. Locals say that the energy firms have stripped their territory without engaging in meaningful consultation with them, let alone compensating them fairly. 

“We are not against development of energy projects,” Maria Rosalina dos Santos, a representative for Quilombola rights organization CONAQ told Mongabay, “But we want development alongside involvement — where people are heard, where people participate. This is the development that we defend.” 

A month-long investigation found multiple cases where the energy firms acquired vast amounts of common land. This was in many cases due to a lack of formal or official documentation declaring that the territory belongs to the local communities, despite their long-standing ties to the area. By taking over these unregistered areas, companies could then incorporate more land into their renewable energy projects. 

Community leaders stressed the importance of including local residents in discussions for engineering projects that may have a significant social and environmental impact on their territory.  Residents have warned that greater protection of land rights is needed, as there are likely to be further conflicts across continental Brazil if no action is taken. 

Italian energy firm Enel responded to the investigation by saying: “The company strictly complies with legal requirements, industry regulations and complies with all environmental requirements,” while Maestro Holding de Energia did not respond to requests for comment.

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