Article published by CNN Brasil. Check out the original article here.
On Monday (21), President Jair Bolsonaro participated in the launch of measures to encourage the production and sustainable use of biomethane. This renewable fuel is obtained by purifying biogas and can replace natural gas, diesel, and gasoline.
After an interview in the garden of the Alvorada Palace, Bolsonaro drove a biomethane-powered tractor to the Planalto Palace. It took him approximately ten minutes to cover the roughly four-kilometer distance between the official residence and the Planalto Palace.
Environment Minister Joaquim Leite signed an executive order establishing the National Program for the Reduction of Methane Emissions, known as “Methane Zero,” which will lead to advances in the production and use of biomethane from urban and rural waste.
“The Metano Zero program processes waste from the city and the countryside. This includes waste from poultry, pigs, sugarcane, dairy products, and landfills. All of this is used to produce biogas, which generates energy, and biomethane, which provides fuel for heavy-duty vehicles. We’ll have the opportunity to ride in trucks, tractors, and buses powered by biomethane, reducing fuel costs,” said Leite.
The Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, signed an administrative order that includes investments in biomethane under the Special Incentive Regime for Infrastructure Development (Reidi).
The administrative ruling will exempt new projects from PIS/Cofins taxes on the purchase of machinery, construction materials, and equipment.
It will thus contribute to the construction of new biofuel production plants, expanding supply and having a positive impact on energy and environmental sustainability.
“We are taking another step toward consolidating the open and competitive market we seek by providing bioenergy investors with the same conditions that natural gas producers already enjoyed,” said Albuquerque.
According to the federal government, the introduction of biomethane will lead to the construction of new plants to produce the fuel, thereby increasing its supply, and the establishment of green corridors to refuel heavy-duty vehicles, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The total projected investment exceeds R$ 7 billion, creating at least 6,500 jobs in the construction and operation of the new facilities. The plan is to build 25 new plants in six states (SP, RS, SC, GO, MT, MS).
President Jair Bolsonaro stated that, before long, the country could receive the equivalent of four times what it currently receives from Bolivia in natural gas, tax-free. “If a farmer is going to do something to generate energy, he won’t pay PIS, Cofins, or the Tax on the Circulation of Goods and Services.”
"In other words, it’s a form of energy that, in addition to being self-generated, doesn’t carry the high end-user costs associated with taxes."
