Brazilian government approves creation of sustainable and low carbon fuels program

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) approved on Tuesday, April 20, a resolution that creates the Fuel of the Future program, which aims to expand the use of sustainable and low-carbon-intensity fuels in the country, the Ministry of Mines and Energy said in a statement.

According to the Ministry, the program provides for the integration of public policies related to the automotive and fuel sectors, including initiatives such as RenovaBio, the National Program for Biodiesel Production and Use, and the Rota 2030 program.

“The program will provide the increase in the use of sustainable and low-carbon-intensity fuels, encouraging the development of national vehicle technology, thereby rendering our transportation matrix cleaner and more sustainable,” said  the statement.

The Ministry highlighted that the program will address, regarding the Otto cycle, high-octane and low-carbon emission fuels, the promotion of the large-scale use of second generation ethanol and incentives to ethanol fuel cells.

In the diesel cycle, the new initiative should work on the creation of green corridors for the supply of vehicles powered by biomethane, natural gas, or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“Sustainable and low-carbon fuels, such as green diesel, biodiesel and synthetic fuels will also be worked on,” the Ministry added.

According to the federal government, the Fuel of the Future program will also seek incentives for operators in the oil and gas sector to invest research and development resources in the aspects proposed by the program. It will also deal with the development of a legal and regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage technology.

Together with Fuel of the Future, the CNPE also created a technical committee for the program, which will comprise 15 agencies and be coordinated by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

The committee will propose methodologies for evaluating the life cycle of fuels and recommend measures to bring reference fuels closer to those used by consumers, the Ministry said.

Minister Albuquerque had anticipated last April 13th, in an event promoted by the North American universities of Harvard and MIT, the creation of a new program targeting biofuels.

At the time, with no further details, Albuquerque said the initiative would aim to provide predictability to entrepreneurs with respect to “what the government thinks about these fuels.”

Source: Moneytimes