Stakeholders in production, industry, trade and regulation arenas are aligned to accelerate the world’s energy transition.
In a panel at the CNI stand on Tuesday (5), Acelen’s VP of New Business, Marcelo Cordaro, began the talk by explaining the pillars of Acelen’s project, which will invest more than R$12 billion in the production of renewable diesel and SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) made from macauba.
Cordado listed its social, economic and environmental gains. “At least 5 agro-industrial hubs will be set up to grow macauba by recovering degraded land. A total of 200,000 hectares of land in the state of Bahia and in Minas Gerais will be cultivated with macauba through public/private partnerships and the use of family farming and up to 355 tons/ha of CO2 will be captured. Environmentally speaking, the plantation is expected to capture 60 million tons of CO2 over 20 years. We are going to produce the fuel of the future in Brazil in a ‘fully sustainable’ project in economic, social and environmental terms.”
Over the course of the project, the expectation is that over R$85 billion will be moved into the economy, more than 90,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created, and CO2 emissions will be reduced by up to 80% compared to those of fossil fuels, which reinforce the company’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
Industry (Airbus), commerce (AmCham) and regulation (federal government) partners expressed their desire to speed up the implementation of actions so that all participants in the production chain are aligned.
Subsequently, Oliver Husse, Director of Sustainability and Environment at Airbus, demonstrated that the industry is committed to creating SAF-compatible solutions. Airplanes want to be greener and Husse stressed that there is a guaranteed commitment
from Airbus. “The project is aligned with the company’s plans. We want to ensure that all Airbus aircraft, both civil and military, are 100% SAF-compliant by 2030.”
Abraão Neto, CEO of Amcham Brazil, highlighted the need to develop a coherent approach between Brazil and the United States regarding the regulation of trade for biofuels.
Neto recommended the adoption of a clear Brazilian regulatory framework so that biofuels from Brazil can compete on the global market under a unified standard and thus be easily exported.
AmCham’s CEO also mentioned strategic points of the approach that need to be consolidated: regulatory framework, international certifications, calculation of SAF through carbon credit (book and claim) and tax burden: tax isonomy. “There is an opportunity to boost SAF production and achieve the carbon neutral goal. The aviation sector is crucial in the global effort against climate change and as a significant contributor to decarbonization.”
Juliano Noman, Secretary of Civil Aviation, praised the harmony among sectors. “All stakeholders are well aligned.” The government is targeting 115 million Brazilians who still don’t fly regularly because of costs. The government’s primary intention in supporting SAF is to reduce ticket prices in order to make flying affordable in Brazil not only for classes A and B.
Noman also stressed that there is sincere political motivation to speed up SAF regulation and guaranteed that a regulatory framework will be achieved. “SAF is the big star in decarbonization. The global nature of aviation requires a global standard of regulation. Government, civil society, industry and airlines must be in alignment with the objectives in the path to decarbonization.”