LATEST NEWS

The Netherlands and Brazil plan biofuel cooperation

18th April, 2008

The Netherlands and Brazil will work together on the sustainable production of biofuels and help developing nations establish their own crops to make alternatives to fossil fuels.

The Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a cooperation agreement with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende on April 11.

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Brazil, the world's largest producer of ethanol from sugarcane, is well placed to help the European Union meet its target of having biofuels make up 10% of fuel needs in the transport sector by 2020.

Verhagen says ethanol has to be produced sustainably. 'It is in Brazil's interest as an exporter to a potentially enormous market, and it is in our interest because we want to honour our European commitments and diversify our energy mix to avoid being overly dependent on too few suppliers,' Verhagen explains.

EU ethanol consumption was estimated at nearly 2.7 billion litres, with imports accounting for about 37% of that total.