Brazil has long been a torchbearer in ethanol blending and flex-fuel vehicles. India’s recent progress in the energy sector has been closely aligned with Brazil’s expertise in the field.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Alvorada Palace on Tuesday (local time), where both leaders explored opportunities to strengthen and diversify bilateral trade. India is also engaging with Brazil to gain insights from its experience in implementing flex-fuel mandates and regulatory frameworks in the energy sector.
Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, P Kumaran stated that India has been talking to Brazil about their experience on mandating flex-fuel content and trying to learn from their experiences in regulating this.
President Lula also affirmed that Brazil and India can serve as engines of a new clean energy-based development model.
Col. Rohit Dev, Deputy Director General, Indian Federation of Green Fuel (IFGE) and a staunch proponent of green energy, feels that Bharat is truly committed to NetZero2070. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the collaborative efforts in renewable energy and climate change with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, which marks the sincerity with which Bharat is addressing the need to transcend from fossil to non-fossil fuels and in that, best practices in Flex-Fuels of Brazil will enable viable adoption in Bharat,” he said.
Dev added that both Bharat and Brazil could collaborate in the Ethanol and future fuels segment, as Bharat aims to be a global beacon of energy transition and is committed to helping the Global South with its leadership with the curation of the Global Biofuels Alliance.
“The multi-prong approach with involvement of MoPNG, MNRE, MoA&FW, MEA etc and visits of key Ministers and captains of the industry, preceding the visit of the Prime Minister to Brazil, suggests the sincerity with which Bharat is approaching its global commitments made during COP”, he added.
Marcelo Goncalez, Brazilian business Journalist said that Brazil stands out on the global biofuels scene, with a long history of using flex-fuel engines and a recent increase in the blend of ethanol in gasoline (from 27% to 30%, known as E30) and biodiesel in diesel (from 14% to 15%, or B15). “Without a doubt, closer relations between India and Brazil in this area can bring considerable advances in the growth of the sector in India and the consolidation of the two economic giants in the global market,” he added.
In a press statement, President Lula said: “We are already partners in the Global Biofuels Alliance, launched during India’s G20 presidency. India has the world’s fastest-growing bioenergy market. The country has set a target of a 20% ethanol blend in gasoline and a 5% biodiesel blend in diesel. Brazil has half a century of experience with biofuels and is a pioneer in the flex-fuel engine market. We already blend 30% ethanol into gasoline and 15% biodiesel into diesel.”
