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Brazil's government has announced it will raise the mandatory biodiesel blend in diesel to B15 (15% biodiesel) from the current B14, effective 1 August, according to Biodiesel Magazine.
The decision was announced on 25 June by Brazil's National Council for Energy Policy (CNPE), under the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and aims to boost domestic biofuel production, according to a report published on 26 June.
The move is expected to spur investments exceeding 5 billion reais (about US$900 million) in new plants and facilities for crushing and processing soybeans, as well as create more than 4,000 jobs, Biodiesel Magazine reported.
Marlon Arraes, head of the biofuels department at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said in a report published on 25 June by Argus Media that the CNPE is studying the possibility of raising the blend further in future, to a range of between 13% and 25%.
The government also announced raising the ethanol blend in petrol from 27% to 30%, in a move aimed at cutting petrol imports and reducing emissions and fuel prices.
Despite these expansions, Arraes noted during the "Biofuels and Feedstocks Latin America" conference organised by Argus in São Paulo that challenges remain, including cost competitiveness, feedstock availability risks, and regulatory instability.
Source: Biodiesel Magazine