Brazil exploring increasing ethanol mandate to 32%
In Brazil, Folha de São Paulo reports the Minister of Mines and Energy says ethanol blending will rise 32% in the first half of the year to reduce the external dependence of the fuel. The country will also seek self-sufficiency in diesel production. The current mixture of ethanol in gasoline is 30%. “The world will leave [the war in Iran] with the strategy of seeking independence. Brazil comes out in front, because it has already advanced a lot in biofuels,” he said at an event in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil today imports about 15% of the gasoline it consumes. After the start of the conflict, the international price of the product rose 65%, according to estimates by the ANP (National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels). There has already been a transfer of the increase in the imported portion to the pumps: according to the ANP, the average price of gasoline at Brazilian stations has risen by 8% since the week before the first attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.
The minister stated that the tests on the feasibility of mixing 32% of ethanol in gasoline are in the final phase and that the topic will be taken to the CNPE (National Energy Policy Council) later this semester.
Category: Policy
