Brazil's Wind Turbine Surplus Fuels AI Data Center Boom

Brazil's wind turbines have created an excess of power due to government incentives for investments in renewable energy. In 2025, plants generated a surplus that led to some of them wasting up to 70% of their output. Crypto mining companies took advantage of the situation, but now AI data centers are emerging as the new opportunity.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy received 68 requests from companies to connect data centers to the power grid, with 65% of these requests made by renewable energy providers themselves. This trend is concerning, especially since some renewable energy companies are building their own data centers. In fact, a whopping 36 such companies have decided to do so.

The city of Gentio do Ouro, with a population of just 11,000, has had 12 requests to connect data centers to the central grid. Instead of strengthening the transmission network to utilize the surplus energy, it will be diverted to power-hungry data centers. This has led to criticism from experts who argue that locals are suffering from limited access to power and potential health issues related to wind turbine syndrome.