Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BRASILIA1856
2006-09-01 19:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Brasilia
Cable title:
GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL SET TO INVEST OVER USD 175 MILLION
how-toVZCZCXRO3586 OO RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC DE RUEHBR #1856 2441928 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 011928Z SEP 06 FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6557 INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 2792 RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 7926 RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 5389 RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
UNCLAS BRASILIA 001856
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EWHITE OES/EGC; JMIOTKE OES/FO; PBATES OES; TSCOTT OES/STC;
WPOPP WHA/BSC
S/P FOR MANUEL
DEPT PASS USTR FOR MSULLIVAN
DEPT PASS TO SLADISLAW DOE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TNGD KSCA EAGR BR
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL SET TO INVEST OVER USD 175 MILLION
TOWARD BIOFUEL RESEARCH
UNCLAS BRASILIA 001856
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EWHITE OES/EGC; JMIOTKE OES/FO; PBATES OES; TSCOTT OES/STC;
WPOPP WHA/BSC
S/P FOR MANUEL
DEPT PASS USTR FOR MSULLIVAN
DEPT PASS TO SLADISLAW DOE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TNGD KSCA EAGR BR
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL SET TO INVEST OVER USD 175 MILLION
TOWARD BIOFUEL RESEARCH
1. The following is an excerpt from an article published in the
August 31 issue of the Brazilian daily Valor Economico:
Begin Text: President Lula's Chief of Staff, Minister Dilma
Rousseff, announced Aug 30, 2006, during the first national biofuels
meeting, that the Government of Brazil (GoB) has set aside over USD
175 million in the budget for various ministries to invest in
research and development of biofuels by 2008. She was quoted as
saying "We (the GoB) are very concerned with the logistics and
infra-structure of biofuels. She continued by saying that Petrobras
would be responsible for over USD 60 million.
At the event, President Lula announced a USD 21 million investment
for the implementation of a biodiesel refinery in the state of
Goias. The unit will be ready by February 2007, and will produce
100 million liters of biodiesel through the purchase of 100 thousand
tons of vegetable oil. The president of the company, Alberto Borges
de Sousa, mentioned that 30 % of the future production has already
been sold by Petrobras in auctions. However he added that in order
to reach industrial equilibrium, the refinery will have to sell 80 %
of what it produces.
Minister Rousseff also mentioned in one her lectures that the
investments would also come from the Ministry of Mines and Energy,
Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT) and Embrapa (Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporation). The MCT predicts investing USD
17 million in biodiesel research and USD 5 million in the
development of ethanol.
Rouseff projects savings of USD 160 million a year worth through the
substitution of diesel imports by biodiesel. She also mentioned the
availability of agricultural land for the production of biofuels.
According to her, the production of the necessary biodiesel to allow
a 5% mix of that fuel in normal diesel fuel will occupy 1 %, or 4
million hectares, of the total agricultural land of the country.
She also said that Brazil's industrial sector must pay attention to
the opportunities of developing technologies.
She continued by saying that the enzyme and seed industry could
benefit from biodiesel and ethanol. "It's an opportunity that
appears every 100 years. It is a strategic sector since it produces
wealth, income and jobs", she said. The Minister also mentioned the
possibility of moving up the deadline for the mandatory 5 %
biodiesel mix to regular diesel, originally set to January of 2013.
"We have to be very careful in order not to put ourselves into
trouble", she warned. The original deadline calls for 2 % (or 1
billion liters a year) mandatory mix by January 2008. The 5 % mix
would raise the demand to 2.4 billion liter a year. End Text
2. Comment: Presently, most GoB research is funneled through the
Ministry of Science and Technology and Petrobras (a company
partially owned by the government.) The research is focused on:
better efficiency, production of hydrogen fuel cells using ethanol,
production of bioethanol from the biomass from sugarcane, industrial
use of ethanol and using ethanol as an input for fuel cells.
Research is also done on sugarcane focusing on the different kinds
of sugar cane including the GMO varieties.
3. Recently, the state government of Maranhco reported that they
will receive USD 25 million from various banks including Bank of
Brasil, the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) and some
banks from Japan for Research and Development for their ethanol
program. Most of the investments into research in biofuels in Brazil
come from the private sector according to Brazilian Exame magazine.
Recent estimates from the Brazilian Association for Industry
Machines and Equipment show that approximately USD 1.7 billion will
be invested in biodiesel infrastructure in the next three years. End
Comment
CHICOLA
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EWHITE OES/EGC; JMIOTKE OES/FO; PBATES OES; TSCOTT OES/STC;
WPOPP WHA/BSC
S/P FOR MANUEL
DEPT PASS USTR FOR MSULLIVAN
DEPT PASS TO SLADISLAW DOE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TNGD KSCA EAGR BR
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL SET TO INVEST OVER USD 175 MILLION
TOWARD BIOFUEL RESEARCH
1. The following is an excerpt from an article published in the
August 31 issue of the Brazilian daily Valor Economico:
Begin Text: President Lula's Chief of Staff, Minister Dilma
Rousseff, announced Aug 30, 2006, during the first national biofuels
meeting, that the Government of Brazil (GoB) has set aside over USD
175 million in the budget for various ministries to invest in
research and development of biofuels by 2008. She was quoted as
saying "We (the GoB) are very concerned with the logistics and
infra-structure of biofuels. She continued by saying that Petrobras
would be responsible for over USD 60 million.
At the event, President Lula announced a USD 21 million investment
for the implementation of a biodiesel refinery in the state of
Goias. The unit will be ready by February 2007, and will produce
100 million liters of biodiesel through the purchase of 100 thousand
tons of vegetable oil. The president of the company, Alberto Borges
de Sousa, mentioned that 30 % of the future production has already
been sold by Petrobras in auctions. However he added that in order
to reach industrial equilibrium, the refinery will have to sell 80 %
of what it produces.
Minister Rousseff also mentioned in one her lectures that the
investments would also come from the Ministry of Mines and Energy,
Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT) and Embrapa (Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporation). The MCT predicts investing USD
17 million in biodiesel research and USD 5 million in the
development of ethanol.
Rouseff projects savings of USD 160 million a year worth through the
substitution of diesel imports by biodiesel. She also mentioned the
availability of agricultural land for the production of biofuels.
According to her, the production of the necessary biodiesel to allow
a 5% mix of that fuel in normal diesel fuel will occupy 1 %, or 4
million hectares, of the total agricultural land of the country.
She also said that Brazil's industrial sector must pay attention to
the opportunities of developing technologies.
She continued by saying that the enzyme and seed industry could
benefit from biodiesel and ethanol. "It's an opportunity that
appears every 100 years. It is a strategic sector since it produces
wealth, income and jobs", she said. The Minister also mentioned the
possibility of moving up the deadline for the mandatory 5 %
biodiesel mix to regular diesel, originally set to January of 2013.
"We have to be very careful in order not to put ourselves into
trouble", she warned. The original deadline calls for 2 % (or 1
billion liters a year) mandatory mix by January 2008. The 5 % mix
would raise the demand to 2.4 billion liter a year. End Text
2. Comment: Presently, most GoB research is funneled through the
Ministry of Science and Technology and Petrobras (a company
partially owned by the government.) The research is focused on:
better efficiency, production of hydrogen fuel cells using ethanol,
production of bioethanol from the biomass from sugarcane, industrial
use of ethanol and using ethanol as an input for fuel cells.
Research is also done on sugarcane focusing on the different kinds
of sugar cane including the GMO varieties.
3. Recently, the state government of Maranhco reported that they
will receive USD 25 million from various banks including Bank of
Brasil, the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) and some
banks from Japan for Research and Development for their ethanol
program. Most of the investments into research in biofuels in Brazil
come from the private sector according to Brazilian Exame magazine.
Recent estimates from the Brazilian Association for Industry
Machines and Equipment show that approximately USD 1.7 billion will
be invested in biodiesel infrastructure in the next three years. End
Comment
CHICOLA