Brazil is emerging as a leader in energy security, says minister

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In recent years, the international markets’ view of Brazil in energy security has changed, and the country is now considered necessary on the world stage.

This assessment comes from the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Paulo Alvim. Today (30) virtually participated in the Energy Seminar: evolution, challenges, and opportunities, sponsored by the Industrial Federation of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan) and the Technological Cluster of the Navy of Rio de Janeiro (CTN-RJ).

According to the Minister, Brazil is committed to producing sustainable, renewable, and clean energy, mainly based on biofuels, which Alvim believes is not just a speech, but a practice.

According to the minister, the movements and problems related to energy resulting from the war in Russia and Ukraine show the importance of energy security in the world.

“When we talk about an important player in energy security, which has become a factor of technological sovereignty, Brazil is considered a key player in this game.”

“When we talk about the prospects for 2050, Brazil is a key player. If we talk about food sovereignty to meet global needs, if we talk about energy sovereignty at the global level, Brazil is already a player, especially in a cleaner matrix, less based on oil, gas, and coal,” he said.

For the minister, these are potentials that Brazil needs to exploit more, which is why the role of research in development and Brazilian science and technology contributions, which have played an important role in recent years, will be significantly strengthened.

Alvim highlighted the integration of the Ministries of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mines and Energy, Economic and Agriculture, which allows actions to enable inputs and resources for sustainable energy production.

As an example, he cited the study on the fuel of the future and hydrogen carried out under the Energy Fund, which aims to finance programs and projects in the energy sector, especially in end-use energy efficiency.

According to the minister, hydrogen production is an agenda demanded by President Jair Bolsonaro, which will complement the various energy alternatives and clean energies in Brazil.

“The fuels of the future are a demand that is being discussed within the framework of the National Council for Energy Policy, on which we are working very concretely, and shortly Finep, with funding from the FNDCT, the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, will carry out three calls for proposals involving TCs, entrepreneurs, and startups, that is, the country is already thinking about the future from an energy point of view and always within the framework of clean production,” he commented.

RIO DE JANEIRO

According to the minister, the state of Rio de Janeiro has a unique role to play in the production of new fuels, and clean energy and, therefore, must not miss the new opportunities that arise.

“We cannot separate energy from the state of Rio de Janeiro and its different forms of generation. Energy has to do with Rio de Janeiro, which must not lose sight of these challenges and turn them into opportunities,” he said.

SOLAR AND WIND

During the seminar, Alvim also pointed to efforts to increase the production of solar and wind energy in Brazil to ensure the country’s supply of alternative energy sources, but without abandoning nuclear power.

“Not only as an alternative energy production but also as an application of nuclear technologies in the field of health, in the field of nutrition, that is, in its variety of benefits that it brings to society,” he added.

The Secretary of Energy Planning and Development of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Paulo César Magalhães Domingues, who was present, presented the performance of Brazil in the international market, which is the seventh-largest oil producer and the largest exporter.

He also pointed out the increasing volume of investment that has been recorded in various sectors, especially after the implementation of auctions.

“Today, when the world is looking at the energy transition, Brazil is already far ahead,” he added, referring to the country’s strategy to move forward in clean and renewable energy.

The minister also referred to the production of hydrogen, which he explained has a great synergy with the production of offshore wind (at sea).

“Offshore wind combined with the production of hydrogen, which is very electricity-intensive, is exciting. Some of this energy will stay in Brazil, and some will be converted into hydrogen for domestic use and export,” he explained.

“We are in the process of creating the entire legal, regulatory and judicial framework to allow the growth of these sources in Brazil,” he concluded.

NATURAL GAS

ANP Director General Admiral Rodolfo Saboia pointed out that the natural gas market in Brazil has undergone an even more incredible transformation than the oil market but that a greater structure is needed for its development.

“Brazil has a great lack of natural gas infrastructure. We have several hundred times fewer kilometers of gas pipelines than the United States or Argentina, for example,” he explained, adding that the situation has improved since the approval of the new Gas Market Law last year.

“We already see a different dynamic in the natural gas market. We are moving from a market where Petrobras had a de facto monopoly until recently, to another where many market players are already operating, with simplified regulations as there are no concessions now,” he explained.

The director of oil, gas, and biofuels of the Energy Research Corporation (EPE), Heloísa Esteves, highlighted the importance of biomass for energy production, which has already gone beyond using sugar cane to obtain ethanol and uses other products.

“We have the fourth largest agricultural production in the world. This has a great synergy with our bioenergy potential,” she explained.

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