The World Biogas Association BRAZIL Congress 2024, organised by the World Biogas Association (WBA) on 1 October, emphasised Brazil’s position as a leader in the global energy transition, focusing on the immense biogas potential yet to be explored.
The event represented a historic milestone for the Brazilian biogas industry and marked the start of the development of a National Biogas Roadmap with the support of WBA.
The Congress took place concurrently with G20 Energy meetings in Foz do Iguaçu – thus drawing global attention to the bioenergy sector at a strategic moment when the country holds the G20 Presidency, as well as prepares to host COP30 and to preside BRICS in 2025.
One of the main outcomes of the Congress was the commitment to create a National Biogas Roadmap, to be developed by COP30, due to take place place in Belém (Pará) in 2025.
This roadmap aims to align the interests of multiple stakeholders across relevant ministries, departments, agencies, institutions, and sectors, and develop a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework, support a capacity building programme, and model the supply chain requirements.
In her speech, Charlotte Morton OBE, WBA chief executive, emphasised Brazil’s role in the global renewable energy landscape: “Brazil is a bioenergy powerhouse with a vast biogas potential and a clear political focus on the fuels of the future. Yet, 95% of this potential remains untapped – the World Biogas Association BRAZIL Congress 2024 on the sidelines of the G20 is the beginning of our journey here in Brazil where we hope to work with all key stakeholders of the Brazilian biogas market to create a National Biogas Roadmap that builds on our #MakingBiogasHappen programme and sets out the key steps necessary to dramatically accelerate the deployment of biogas in the country,” she stated.
Biogas at the centre of the global energy transition
Topics discussed in the plenary sessions of the Congress included logistics and industrial decarbonisation, waste management, and the financing for biomethane projects. The presence of global leaders bore testimony to the opportunities that biogas offers as a key solution for achieving emission reduction targets and energy security, in line with Brazil’s commitments to the Global Methane Pledge.
“We are experiencing a very important moment for biogas and biomethane in Brazil, with the growing number of plants, projects, and an increasingly favorable regulatory environment,” said Rafael González, CEO of CIBiogás. “The WBA event, held here in Brazil, enables us to qualify, position, and bring the Brazilian biogas industry closer to the international stage.”
Strategic partnerships and next steps
The World Biogas Association Congress Series was launched by WBA in New Delhi, India in November 2023, with the support of the Indian Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas and New and Renewable Energy. The series aims to facilitate the scaling up of key emerging biogas markets, identifying the main barriers to growth and ensuring access to lessons learnt from mature biogas markets.
The Congress in Brazil served as a means to strengthen collaboration between the country and other biogas markets, such as India. Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to a just energy transition, strengthening ties in the promotion of biogas and the bioeconomy.
“With this BRAZIL Congress, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the biogas sector within the global energy dialogue and discuss the roadmap for the Brazilian biogas sector ahead of COP30,” said Pradeep Monga, WBA’s policy director. “We are working to ensure its implementation, bringing new financing opportunities, new technologies, and best practices so that biogas can grow stronger and more rapidly.”
Following the success of the Congress in Brazil, the next event in the series will take place in New Delhi, India, on 23-24 October 2024, further consolidating the partnership between the countries in the development of biogas and anaerobic digestion technologies.
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