Brazil to up ethanol level in petrol

On 2 February, the Brazilian government agreed, along with ethanol producers, to increase the level of the sugar-based fuel in petrol.

From 15 February, all petrol sold in Brazil will be required to include at least 27% ethanol, a 2% increase from the current minimum of 25%. This level was agreed upon in a meeting between Aloizio Mercadante, presidential chief of staff, and leaders of the Unica association representing sugar producers.

The final decision will come from President Dilma Rousseff.

'Tests performed to monitor gas emissions, consumption, wear on parts and engine performance demonstrated it is viable for motor vehicles to use fuel mixtures with the new levels of ethanol,' says Elizabeth Farina, CEO, Unica.
Almost 90% of motor vehicles produced in Brazil are equipped with flex-fuel technology that enables them to run on petrol or ethanol.

Unica projects that raising the ethanol quota to 27% will require an additional annual production of 1 billion litres (264 billion gallons) of the fuel, and in doing so, will reduce the number of plants forced to close.