As part of the Latin American Energy Organization’s (OLADE’s) Energy Week, Carlos Suárez, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) regional ethanol consultant for Latin America, was invited to speak on a panel alongside representatives from the Inter-American Agricultural Institute (IICA) and Brazil’s Universidad Federal de Itajubá (UNIFEI). Suárez presented on the Council’s regional role in facilitating technical programming for policymakers and private sector stakeholders across Latin America to showcase the economic and environmental benefits of ethanol blending.
OLADE’s Energy Week is the Latin American region’s established multilateral energy event, addressing the advancement of energy transition processes and how the region should address those, including the expanding role of renewable energy sources.
“As an organization, the Council is focused on helping stakeholders understand the role of ethanol, in the transportation sector,” Suárez said. “We support the efforts of both private and public stakeholders to implement ethanol blending to reach sustainability goals for the sector.”
Other panelists emphasized the complementarity of ethanol to electrification plans, where structural challenges in the region are likely to delay a quick implementation of those plans. In contrast, ethanol allows for the immediate achievement of greenhouse gas (GHG) and toxic emissions reductions, in addition to diversifying the energy matrix and supporting local economic growth.
“Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions, creating an opportunity in Latin America to further decarbonize cities, and to enhance the local agricultural industries,” Suárez said.
The Council’s Latin America office works diligently across the region to support policymakers and stakeholders in their assessments of different ethanol blend levels and their contributions to achieving policy transport decarbonization and other economic goals.
Latin America consumes around 740,000 barrels of gasoline per year, estimated to generate around 823 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year. Using higher ethanol blend levels in gasoline across the region would greatly contribute to reducing greenhouse gases and improving air quality.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.