Brazil and India to forge partnership to promote bioenergy and biofuels

This is a machine translation of the original release from the Mines and Energy Ministry published in Portuguese. 

The Minister for Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, is making an official visit to India this week, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, the Empresa de Pesquisa Energética, and a delegation of Brazilian business leaders from the biofuels, automotive, and oil and gas sectors.

The visit follows up on the work being carried out by the governments and private sectors of the two countries in the wake of President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to India in 2020, when three memoranda of understanding were signed in the energy and mining sectors.

In New Delhi, Minister Bento Albuquerque and his entourage held meetings with Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, India's leading government policy planning institution; with the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari; and, yesterday, April 21, with the Minister of Oil and Natural Gas, Hardeep Sing Puri.

The Brazilian delegation includes business leaders from the sugarcane sector (UNICA, APLA, EXAL, Foro Sucroenergético, Copersucar, Bunge/BP) and automotive industry (Volkswagen Latin America, Toyota, Stelantis and Abraciclo/Yahama), in addition to Petrobras.

In the meetings held, the convergence of public-private interests on both sides was confirmed, as well as the determination to work towards the expansion of cooperation between India and Brazil in the energy sector, particularly in biofuels and state-of-the-art flex fuel generation engines.

Brazil and its public policies and industrial capabilities in biofuels and flex and hybrid engines have served as a reference for the measures being taken by the Indian government in these sectors, which contribute to the substantial decarbonization of the transport matrix, generating employment, income and wealth.

EPE, MME and NITI Aayog, an Indian government institution for planning and studies to support public policies, decided to establish a joint work program to bring their respective energy planning closer together, as well as to promote the exchange of knowledge in policies in the area of biofuels.

India is Brazil's fifth largest trading partner and an important source of investment in the country's energy sector. Oil is the main product exported by Brazil to India (42% of the total exported), while fuels, especially diesel oil, represent around 20% of what the country imports from India.

Brazil-India Joint Declaration

Minister Bento Albuqueque and his delegation met today, April 21, with the Minister of Oil and Natural Gas of India, Hardeep Puri. The two ministers reviewed the set of the bilateral energy agenda, exchanged views on international energy markets, particularly on issues concerning global energy security and international price volatility, agreed on the need to maintain the energy transition process, and discussed the prospects that are opening up with the continued development of India and Brazil in the coming decades, with the respective increase in energy demand and the need for diversification of sources.

The joint ministerial declaration approved on the occasion lays the foundations for a Brazil-India partnership on bioenergy and biofuels, boosting relations and cooperation in these important sectors.

The ministers agreed on the broad potential of increased cooperation between Brazil and India in the field of energy, by allying two of the largest democracies in the developing world, endowed with recognized industrial and technological capabilities, with vast natural resources, and specific weight in the international energy agenda.

The ministers also agreed to work to strengthen cooperation between the private sugar-energy and automotive sectors of the two countries, with a view to consolidating not only their respective domestic markets, but a global market for sustainable biofuels and vehicles with “flex-fuel” and hybrid engines.

They also agreed to work together to position bioenergy and sustainable biofuels as part of the solutions for the global energy transition, especially in transport, industry and other sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as air and maritime transport.

Also during the ministerial meeting, two instruments were signed between the private sectors. UNICA (sugar cane industry union) and India's SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation that provides, among other initiatives, for the launch of the Ethanol Virtual Center of Excellence, dedicated to sharing best practices and information in the industry. The representative of APLA (Local Productive Arrangement of Alcohol) signed an agreement with their Indian counterpart for the licensing of technology.

Minister Bento Albuquerque invited Minister Hardeep Puri to visit Brazil in the near future, together with an Indian mission from the biofuels and automotive sectors.