With the aim of helping Guatemala reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and diversify energy sources, from 2024, the 10% biofuel blend will be mandatory across the country's gasoline. The information was released by the country's Minister of Energy and Mines, Alberto Pimentel, during the event "Impact of sustainable mobility in Guatemala", held on Tuesday, 15.

"The announcement by Minister Pimentel is excellent news for all of us, as it reinforces the fundamental role of ethanol in the transition to a low-carbon economy, presenting an effective and available alternative in Guatemala," said Evandro Gussi, president of the Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Union (Unica).

He received information at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where he participates in a series of events to show the potential of biofuel on the climate agenda.

With the mixture of 10% ethanol in gasoline, Guatemalan authorities estimate that emissions of approximately 250,000 tons of CO2 annually are avoided. The measure will help the Central American country, with a strong economy based on agriculture, to reach the commitments made in the Paris Agreement. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 11% by 2030.

"Guatemala has enormous productive potential to expand the bioenergy industry, reducing the strong dependence on fossil fuels," explained Eduardo Leão de Sousa, Executive Director of Unica. "In line with the guatemalan government's objectives, we had the opportunity to share our Brazilian experience of nearly 50 years of ethanol use and production at Ethanol Talks, cooperating to leverage biofuel production," he added.

According to Unica, sugarcane cultivation is one of the main drivers of the Guatemalan economy, with exports of 70% of sugar production – the country is the sixth largest exporter of the product. The entity also reports that the country has been producing ethanol for more than three decades and has an installed production capacity of about 250 million liters per year.

"There is a surplus of molasses and the installed capacity for ethanol exceeds the estimate required for the necessary production at first," he said in a statement. Currently, biofuel is exported to Europe and the United States.

In Brazil, all gasoline must contain 27% ethanol. In addition, since 2003 flex fuel vehicles have been circulating, which work with both gasoline and ethanol, in any proportion. The use of ethanol by almost 50% of otto cycle cars (light vehicles) has avoided the emission of 600 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere in almost 20 years.

Sustainable mobility

Minister Alberto Pimentel emphasized during this week's announcement that sustainable mobility is a model that many countries around the world are seeking in order to reduce emissions in the transport sector and analyze in the long term how to make transport greener and more sustainable.

"The objectives of this mobility include mitigating climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, reducing air pollution, improving air quality, coordinating sustainable mobility policies with energy, environmental, urban and land use planning policies, among others," the minister said.

According to Unica, currently, more than 70 countries in the world already have mandates that establish some level of ethanol mixture in gasoline. India, for example, has the goal of reaching 2025 with 20% mixing, having announced the 10% mark in 2022.

Source: RPA news