New milestone for natural gas in Brazil: biomethane is now regulated

Published on February 2, 2015 in the Official Gazette, the Resolution No. 8 from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) sets the specifications of biomethane produced from organic waste and its application for vehicles (NGVs) residences and businesses.

The biomethane, which has been received under the GNVerde brand in Rio Grande do Sul, is an alternative and 100% renewable fuel being tested in vehicles since 2013 with the support of the State Gas Company (Sulgás). The distribution company was awaiting the decision of the ANP to start selling this alternative fuel, which can be mixed with the natural gas transported by pipelines. As a result, the first public call for the purchase of biomethane in five regions of the state will be launched soon.

“Until now we were in development phase and supporting projects and research in the state,” said the company’s Planning Management. Sulgás expectation is that the viability of GNVerde production plants enhances introduction of natural gas. “The regions that are remote from our network of pipelines will be met from local production, reducing infrastructure costs,” they explained.

In order to demonstrate the feasibility of using GNVerde as a clean and sustainable supply of public transport alternative, the first biomethane powered bus in Brazil was rolled out in Rio Grande do Sul in January 2015. The Scania Citywide Euro 6 arrived from Sweden in 2014 for testing in South America and, before reaching Rio Grande do Sul, passed through Mexico, Colombia and Foz do Iguacu, Parana.

https://www.ngvjournal.com/new-milestone-for-natural-gas-in-brazil-biomethane-is-now-regulated/