by Jefferson dos Santos Estevo* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On October 8, 2024, President Lula da Silva signed the "Future Fuel" Bill (PL 528/2020) into law at an event held at the Brasília Military Air Base. This legislation, which was introduced to the National Congress by the federal government in September 2023, was approved by both houses, Senate and Chamber of Deputies, with a strong majority after nearly a year of debate. The bill marks a significant step in Brazil’s energy transition, particularly in the transportation sector, and is critical for the country’s decarbonization goals and climate mitigation commitments.
The bill aims to position Brazil as a global leader in sustainable energy initiatives, unlocking investments and promoting the creation of biorefineries to produce sustainable fuels. It covers the entire lifecycle, from production to end-use, encouraging multiple economic sectors to adopt greener practices. A key aspect of the legislation is the integration or upgrading of sustainable fuels in transportation.
One of the main provisions includes increasing the blend of anhydrous ethanol in gasoline, setting the level at 27%, but allowing flexibility to reduce it to 22% or raise it to as much as 35%. Similarly, the blend of biodiesel with fossil diesel could increase to 20% by 2030, with an incremental rise of 1% per year starting in 2025. The National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) will be responsible for assessing the technical feasibility of this goal, and the variation could range between 13% and 25%. The CNPE will also evaluate the use of green diesel, and the bill establishes the National Green Diesel Program to foster research, production, and commercialization of this biofuel.
The bill also introduces the National Decarbonization Program for Natural Gas Producers and Importers, which focuses on reducing emissions in this sector through the increased use of biomethane. The target is for a minimum of 1% biomethane inclusion by 2026, reaching 10% by 2030, with annual benchmarks to be defined by the CNPE.
Another significant element of the legislation is the establishment of a regulatory framework for synthetic fuels in Brazil. The National Petroleum Agency (ANP) will oversee the regulation of these fuels and manage geological activities related to carbon capture and storage. Under the new rules, companies will be permitted to engage in the transportation, capture, and storage of carbon dioxide through contracts that can last up to 30 years, with an option for renewal.
A major advancement is the creation of the National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Program (Probioqav), which sets emission reduction targets for the aviation industry. Starting in 2027, airlines will be required to reduce emissions by 1%, increasing to 10% by 2037, primarily through the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs). Brazil plans to produce SAFs using various feedstocks such as agricultural residues, animal fat, vegetable oils, and sugarcane or corn-based ethanol.
The event was attended by key figures, including Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), president of the Chamber of Deputies, John Rodgerson, CEO of Azul Airlines, and Alexandre Silveira, Minister of Mines and Energy. Representatives from various sectors, including agribusiness, biofuels, automakers, and airlines, were also present.
The ceremony took place alongside the Green Leadership Brazil Expo, which showcased the country’s leading decarbonization technologies. Aircraft from Brazil’s major airlines were on display, and President Lula symbolically signed one of Azul’s planes, underscoring the importance of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and the aviation sector’s energy transition.
The "Future Fuel Law” is a landmark in Brazil’s journey toward a sustainable energy future, “Brazil is now a model for the world. Brazil will lead the largest energy revolution on planet Earth, and there is no one to compete with Brazil,” declared President Lula. Particularly within the transport sector, and is expected to drive innovation and investment across the country.
*Post-doctoral researcher in Political Science at the Federal University of Goiás, Brazil. Fellow of CNPQ and FAPEG jeffersonestevo@ufg.br
Related articles
- Brazil’s Audacious Plan to Dominate Green Energy Markets Starts Today (October 8, 2024) (The Rio Times)
- Lula signs a commitment to the Fuel of the Future with Inpasa in Brasília (Inpasa)
- Brazil’s President Lula signs Fuel of the Future law (Biobased Diesel Daily)
- Brazil's hopes for the future of biofuels (The Brazilian Report)
- Brazil’s biofuel boom: green growth or greenwashing? (The Canary)
- Brazil’s biofuel - boom or climate bust? (Ecologist)
Excerpt from Inpasa: In addition to reinforcing the scale of the impact of the biofuel and derivatives industries in the country, investment agreements were signed to expand Brazilian production, with a focus on decarbonization. The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, cited the environmental responsibility and confidence in the Brazilian economy demonstrated by companies such as Inpasa, the largest biofuel producer in Latin America.
“We have always heard that Brazil would be the country of the future. But today, with a lot of sweat and work, we are planting a new seed: the Fuel of the Future. A green economy that will expand national production from 34 to 50 billion liters per year. Inpasa demonstrated this today and will inaugurate the largest plant on the planet. This shows confidence in the Brazilian economy,” the minister pointed out.
At the ceremony, José Lopes, the company's president, signed the agreement that deals with the investment of R$3.4 billion for the expansion of the Sidrolândia (MS) plant and for the completion of the Balsas (MA) plant, which will begin operating in March 2025, in addition to the construction of the biorefinery in Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA), with operations scheduled for March 2026. Lopes also highlighted the operation of the four phases of the Sinop biorefinery, which, with an investment of R$4.1 billion, is considered the largest producer of cereal ethanol in the world.
The Sinop plant has the capacity to produce 2.1 billion liters of ethanol per year, processing around 4.6 million tons of second-crop corn, in addition to generating 1 million tons of DDGS (high value-added protein), 105 thousand tons of oil and 804.1 GWh of bioelectricity.
“Receiving recognition as an example of technological and industrial innovation demonstrates the potential of the company and Brazil to lead the development of clean and renewable solutions that meet the growing global demand for low-carbon energy,” said José Lopes, highlighting the importance of Inpasa in the Brazilian bioeconomy scenario. READ MORE
Excerpt from Biobased Diesel Daily: Raízen will invest $11.5 billion Brazilian reals (USD$2.07 billion) in the implementation of nine second-generation ethanol plants, and Inpasa has committed to investing $3.4 billion Brazilian reals (USD$611.7 million) over the next 18 months, with the amount being distributed between two ethanol plants and the construction of a biorefinery in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Bahia.
In addition, Grupo Potencial announced investments of $3 billion Brazilian reals (USD$540 million) in the biodiesel production chain, with emphasis on the expansion of the Lapa plant in Paraná, which will become the largest single-plant biodiesel producer in the world due to the investment, according to the Brazilian government.
Grupo FS will implement a carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant associated with ethanol in Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso.
Also investing in a biodiesel plant in Uberaba, Minas Gerias, Be8 has committed to investing $400 million Brazilian reals (USD$72 million) in the project.
To implement a bioenergy research center, Shell—in partnership with Raízen and SENAI/SP—will invest $120 million Brazilian reals (USD$21.6 million). READ MORE
More than 50,000 articles in our online library!
Use the categories and tags listed below to access the nearly 50,000 articles indexed on this website.
Advanced Biofuels USA Policy Statements and Handouts!
- For Kids: Carbon Cycle Puzzle Page
- Why Ethanol? Why E85?
- Just A Minute 3-5 Minute Educational Videos
- 30/30 Online Presentations
- “Disappearing” Carbon Tax for Non-Renewable Fuels
- What’s the Difference between Biodiesel and Renewable (Green) Diesel? 2020 revision
- How to De-Fossilize Your Fleet: Suggestions for Fleet Managers Working on Sustainability Programs
- New Engine Technologies Could Produce Similar Mileage for All Ethanol Fuel Mixtures
- Action Plan for a Sustainable Advanced Biofuel Economy
- The Interaction of the Clean Air Act, California’s CAA Waiver, Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, Renewable Fuel Standards and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
- Latest Data on Fuel Mileage and GHG Benefits of E30
- What Can I Do?
Donate
DonateARCHIVES
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- June 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- October 2006
- April 2006
- January 2006
- April 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- December 1987
CATEGORIES
- About Us
- Advanced Biofuels Call to Action
- Aviation Fuel/Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- BioChemicals/Renewable Chemicals
- BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production
- Business News/Analysis
- Cooking Fuel
- Education
- 30/30 Online Presentations
- Competitions, Contests
- Earth Day 2021
- Earth Day 2022
- Earth Day 2023
- Earth Day 2024
- Executive Training
- Featured Study Programs
- Instagram TikTok Short Videos
- Internships
- Just a Minute
- K-12 Activities
- Mechanics training
- Online Courses
- Podcasts
- Scholarships/Fellowships
- Teacher Resources
- Technical Training
- Technician Training
- University/College Programs
- Events
- Coming Events
- Completed Events
- More Coming Events
- Requests for Speakers, Presentations, Posters
- Requests for Speakers, Presentations, Posters Completed
- Webinars/Online
- Webinars/Online Completed; often available on-demand
- Federal Agency/Executive Branch
- Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Agriculture (USDA)
- Commerce Department
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Congressional Budget Office
- Defense (DOD)
- Air Force
- Army
- DARPA (Defense Advance Research Projects Agency)
- Defense Logistics Agency
- Marines
- Navy
- Education Department
- Energy (DOE)
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Federal Reserve System
- Federal Trade Commission
- Food and Drug Administration
- General Services Administration
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Homeland Security
- Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Interior Department
- International Trade Commission
- Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
- Justice (DOJ)
- Labor Department
- National Academy of Sciences
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- National Research Council
- National Science Foundation
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Patent and Trademark Office
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- State Department
- Surface Transportation Board
- Transportation (DOT)
- Federal Aviation Administration
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin (PHMSA)
- Treasury Department
- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
- White House
- Federal Legislation
- Federal Litigation
- Federal Regulation
- Feedstocks
- Agriculture/Food Processing Residues nonfield crop
- Alcohol/Ethanol/Isobutanol
- Algae/Other Aquatic Organisms/Seaweed
- Atmosphere
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues
- Forestry/Wood/Residues/Waste
- hydrogen
- Manure
- Methane/Biogas
- methanol/bio-/renewable methanol
- Not Agriculture
- RFNBO (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin)
- Seawater
- Sugars
- water
- Funding/Financing/Investing
- grants
- Green Jobs
- Green Racing
- Health Concerns/Benefits
- Heating Oil/Fuel
- History of Advanced Biofuels
- Infrastructure
- Aggregation
- Biofuels Engine Design
- Biorefinery/Fuel Production Infrastructure
- Carbon Capture/Storage/Use
- certification
- Deliver Dispense
- Farming/Growing
- Precursors/Biointermediates
- Preprocessing
- Pretreatment
- Terminals Transport Pipelines
- International
- Abu Dhabi
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antarctica
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Asia
- Asia Pacific
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Beliz
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Caribbean
- Central African Republic
- Central America
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Dubai
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eqypt
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- European Union (EU)
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Global South
- Greece
- Greenland
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Korea
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Latin America
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Middle East
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar/Burma
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Guinea
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Africa
- North Korea
- Northern Ireland
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South America
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Southeast Asia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- UK (United Kingdom)
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates UAE
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wales
- Zambia
- Zanzibar
- Zimbabwe
- Marine/Boat Bio and Renewable Fuel/MGO/MDO/SMF
- Marketing/Market Forces and Sales
- Opinions
- Organizations
- Original Writing, Opinions Advanced Biofuels USA
- Policy
- Presentations
- Biofuels Digest Conferences
- DOE Conferences
- Bioeconomy 2017
- Bioenergy2015
- Biomass2008
- Biomass2009
- Biomass2010
- Biomass2011
- Biomass2012
- Biomass2013
- Biomass2014
- DOE Project Peer Review
- Other Conferences/Events
- R & D Focus
- Carbon Capture/Storage/Use
- Co-Products
- Feedstock
- Logistics
- Performance
- Process
- Vehicle/Engine/Motor/Aircraft/Boiler
- Yeast
- Railroad/Train/Locomotive Fuel
- Resources
- Books Web Sites etc
- Business
- Definition of Advanced Biofuels
- Find Stuff
- Government Resources
- Scientific Resources
- Technical Resources
- Tools/Decision-Making
- Rocket/Missile Fuel
- Sponsors
- States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawai'i
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Midwest
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Native American tribal nation lands
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Coast
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Sustainability
- Uncategorized
- What You Can Do
tags
© 2008-2023 Copyright Advanced BioFuels USA. All Rights reserved.
Comments are closed.