Petrobras to Double Biodiesel Production in Bahia
BRAZIL - The first of Petrobras' three biodiesel production plants, the Candeias plant, in Bahia, is to double production.

Commercial-Scale Oilseed Production Begins
BRAZIL - Dutch based energy company Argos Groep BV has become the major shareholder in Terasol Energy.

New BASF Sodium Methylate Plant in Brazil
BRAZIL - Chemical company BASF has started work on its new production plant for sodium methylate in Guaratinguetá, Brazil, its largest site in South America.

Ethanol Import Tariff to Be Maintained Until July
BRAZIL - The reduction of the import tariff on ethanol has been postponed until July, as announced today by the Brazilian minister of Agriculture, Reinhold Stephanes.

Shell and Cosan to Form Joint Venture in Brazil
BRAZIL - Shell and Cosan have put forward plans to form a circa $12 billion joint venture (JV) in Brazil for the production of ethanol, sugar and power, and the supply, distribution and retail...

Sugarcane-Based Ethanol to Produce Electricity
BRAZIL - GE and Brazil’s federal energy company, Petrobras, this week celebrated the world’s first use of sugarcane-based ethanol in a gas turbine system to produce electricity on a full commercial...

Brazilian Soybean Production to Reach 65m Tonnes
BRAZIL - Soybean production in Brazil is forecast to total a record 65 million tonnes for the 2009-10 season, according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts.

Sergipe to Produce Wind Energy
BRAZIL - Up to 2011, Sergipe should be producing enough wind energy to supply a city of 200,000 inhabitants.

Petrobras and PetroChina Sign Ethanol MoU
BRAZIL - The Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras and its biofuel industry subsidiary have signed a memorandum of understanding with Petrochina International Company Limited.

Bunge Expands in Brazil
BRAZIL - Bunge Ltd has announced that it is to expand its sugar and bioenergy business in Brazil by acquiring Moema Par.

Elecnor Group Obtains Five Wind Farms in Brazil
BRAZIL - A winning project consisting of five wind farms totalling 96 MW of wind power with a total estimated output of over 330 GWh/year will be installed in the state of Rio Grande do Sul....

Castor Oil Biodiesel a Reality
BRAZIL - Brazilian oil and fuel company, Petrobras Biofuel has a solid grasp of the technological process of producing biodiesel from castor seeds.

Vega Announces Biomass JV
BRAZIL - Vega Promotional Systems Inc. has announced that it has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement to build a biomass production facility in Brazil.

Feasibility Study with Jatropha in Brazil
BRAZIL - A start-up company is investigating the feasibility of a large-scale biofuels project using jatropha.

ETH Inaugurates Conquista do Pontal Plant
BRAZIL - Brazilian company ETH Bioenergia recently held its inauguration ceremony for the Conquista do Pontal Unit, in Mirante de Paranapanema, São Paulo.

Biodiesel Producers Welcome 20 Per Cent Blend
BRAZIL - Biodiesel producers in Brazil have applauded the government's proposal to gradually increase the amount of biodiesel in diesel fuel to 20 per cent in big cities by 2015.

Dreyfus Becomes Second-largest Ethanol Producer
BRAZIL - Louis Dreyfus Commodities Bioenergia, the Brazilian subsidiary of the French commodities giant, has become the second-largest sugar cane milling group in the world after Cosan, following...

Brazil to Increase Biodiesel Blending Mandate
BRAZIL - Brazil is expected to increase its biodiesel blending mandate from four to five per cent in 2010, three years ahead of schedule, the country’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has...

Brazil Advances Addition of Biodiesel to Diesel
BRAZIL - Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced last week the addition of five per cent biodiesel to the diesel consumed in Brazil has been advanced by three years. The so-called...

Climate Affects Sugar and Ethanol Production
BRAZIL - Brazil should have lower offer of ethanol and sugar in the 2009/2010 crops due to rain. This may be a problem for a bullish global market, which is already noticing lower production...

Appalachian Instructor Explores Brazil’s Biofuels
US - Jeremy Ferrell, an instructor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Technology, was one of 15 individuals from the United States selected to participate in the first Brazil-US...

Alcohol Pipeline Should Cheapen Ethanol Exports
BRAZIL - Ethanol exported from Brazil should become approximately 25 per cent cheaper once pipelines start being used in its transport.

Rio Claro Unit Starts Operation
BRAZIL - The plant was inaugurated last month in the presence of the State Governor, Alcides Rodrigues, and the Mayors of Cachoeira Alta and Caçu, amongst other dignitaries.

Brazil's Ethanol Producers Falling Behind on Taxes
BRAZIL - Brazilian ethanol distilleries are behind on paying taxes because of the financial crisis, and state authorities say they are looking to toughen up.

UK Minister Visits Brazilian Ethanol Plant
BRAZIL - The British minister of Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, was visiting Brazil as part of the UK's build up to the Copenhagen climate meeting at the end of the year.