Copa Energia Eyes Biomethane and Natural Gas to Fuel Brazil’s Booming Data Centers

Brazil plans to add biomethane to its yearly greenhouse gas goal for the natural gas sector starting in 2027. This could open doors for renewable gas producers. At the same time, it may raise doubts about how plants will be verified.

The idea comes from a draft rule from the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Firms that fall under the federal program for natural gas decarbonization would reach the goal by using biomethane when they consume natural gas.

The draft sets a first step of 1% for 2027. That would mean buying around 3.63 million Certificates of Guarantee of Origin for Biomethane, or CGOBs. That figure points to about 363.2 million cubic meters of biomethane. After that, the draft shows a gradual rise to 3% in 2028. It then moves to 4% in 2029 and 5% in 2030.

The plan may raise demand for renewable gas made from waste tied to Brazil’s bioenergy sector.

Abiogás, the Brazilian Biogas and Biomethane Association, says makers are running out of time. They must get their plants certified through Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, known as ANP.

In the draft rules, producers that finish certification by late 2026 can rely on invoices dated from Jan. 1. That would be used to set the ground for CGOBs.

ABiogás also noted that the calendar is tight. It said that because the year is almost over and the regulatory guidance was only recently released, the audit work and approval steps may not finish in time.

“If the plant certification is finished only in 2027, biomethane sold in 2026 might not lead to CGOBs,” said ABiogás CEO Josiani Napolitano in a statement.

She added that this could squeeze producers' income. It may also lower the first wave of certificate supply. Napolitano said the group is talking with the ANP about the matter.

The timing of the first CGOBs will also hinge on a digital system. The ANP is building this tool with Serpro, a federal data processing firm. The platform will bring in data from market players. It will check the production details that must be in place before certificates can be issued and traded.

Data centers

Brazilian energy firms are looking at new ways to fuel the country’s data centers, and biomethane is part of that push. The sector is growing fast, so cleaner options matter.

Copa Energia, which is the biggest liquefied petroleum gas bottler, marketer, and distributor in Latin America, is now looking at biomethane and also natural gas for use in Brazilian data centers. Chief Information Officer Claudia Marquesani said this.

Right now, about 90% of Copa Energia’s income comes from LPG. The product is sold under the Copagaz and Liquigás brands.

Even so, the firm is trying to shift more attention toward energy-transition plans. It is also checking possible projects linked to ReData, a federal tax incentive program for data centers.

Marquesani added that the company has already spotted several options to pursue. Still, a lot of the finer points are not set yet.

The program’s rules on low emission power are still under review. Officials are expected to spell out which energy sources can be used by data centers to get tax breaks.

At the Data Center World Brazil event in São Paulo, Marquesani said, “Data centers are the biggest orchestration task I have seen. You cannot focus on only one step. You have to check the whole chain.”

She also noted problems in Brazil’s power network. In a few areas, electricity supply is strong, but power lines and related transmission systems are not built out enough.

New businesses

Copa Energia set up a new unit for alternative energy goods. The plan covers biomethane. It may also reach other areas, like data centers.

Marquesani said the firm is working on 38 AI efforts. They run from agentic AI work to orchestration tools.

In April 2024, Copa grew its natural gas side. It bought Companhia de Transporte de Gás, known as CTG. CTG is a compressed natural gas distributor that started in 2002. CTG serves places that do not have regular pipeline access. It does this with a “virtual pipeline” setup. The deal price was not shared.

Then, in June 2025, Copa bought a 36% share in GNLink. GNLink makes liquefied natural gas. It has liquefaction plants in Barra Bonita in Paraná state and in Itabuna in Bahia. It is also building a third plant in Carnaúba, in Rio Grande do Norte. Lorinvest, run by the Lorentzen family, still holds 64%.

Amazon on Alert: Flávio Bolsonaro’s Victory Could Reverse Historic Drops in Deforestation

Over the past three years, Brazil has cut deforestation in the Amazon by half. In 2025, there was an 11.08% drop. These figures stem from the commitment made by the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration and Environment Minister Marina Silva to eliminate deforestation nationwide by 2030. All of this is now at risk due to Flávio Bolsonaro's victory in the first round of the 2026 presidential election. If Bolsonaro wins, Brazil will almost certainly revert to the kind of environmental destruction seen during the administration of his father Jair Bolsonaro — who is currently imprisoned for attempting a coup d'état.

It is crucial to point out that the Amazon lost 690,000 more trees per day under Bolsonaro than under Lula. The current PT administration, with Marina Silva heading the Ministry of the Environment, has driven a drastic drop in deforestation figures. According to the website O Eco, the rate of deforestation fell by 62% during Lula’s first two terms, rose by 54% during the Bolsonaro administration, and dropped by 51% during Lula’s third term compared to 2022.

The PT administration has restored environmental governance by reviving the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon and creating similar plans for the Cerrado and other Brazilian biomes. All these plans face criticism from Bolsonaro supporters. Consequently, all these protection mechanisms would likely be dismantled under a Flávio Bolsonaro administration.

Other services expected to be severely impacted include enforcement and monitoring operations carried out by Ibama and ICMBio, with support from agencies such as INPE, the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police, and Funai. During the first Bolsonaro administration, there was a concerted effort to dismantle these services and bolster support for illegal logging and illegal mining activities that reached record levels under his government, which ended its term with historic highs in deforestation within protected areas and a surge of up to 90% in illegal mining operations in those same regions.

The current government has stepped up enforcement and monitoring efforts through Ibama and ICMBio, with the support of other agencies such as INPE, the Federal Police (PF), the Federal Highway Police (PRF), and Funai.

In addition to command-and-control measures, the ministry led by Marina Silva has reactivated financial mechanisms, such as the Amazon Fund, that strengthen federal, state, and municipal agencies and drive sustainable development in the Amazon biome.

Paradoxically, the agribusiness sector, which largely supports Bolsonarism, will be the most affected by further deforestation in the Amazon. According to environmental activist Bruno Brezenski, 85% of Brazilian agricultural production currently depends on Amazonian rainfall.

Soybeans in the Center-West, cotton in São Paulo, and corn in the South rely on standing trees in the Amazon.

According to the journal Nature, every square meter of intact forest releases 300 liters of water into the atmosphere annually. This creates the famous "flying rivers" that irrigate the entire country.

Therefore, a far-right government would harm the economic sector that most strongly supports it and would effectively give the green light to countless illegal activities in the Amazon rainforest, such as wildcat mining and illegal deforestation. It is worth recalling that Ricardo Salles, Jair Bolsonaro’s then-Minister of the Environment, became a defendant in a case involving the illegal export of timber.

The election of Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) could therefore cause Amazon deforestation to return, in the coming years, to the worst levels observed since monitoring began in 1988 — exactly as happened during Jair Bolsonaro's administration.

Petrobras (PETR3; PETR4) Discovers Oil in Ultra-Deepwater Equatorial Margin Off Amapá

Petrobras said today (02/10) that it found oil in ultra-deepwater off the coast of Amapá state. It is in Brazil’s Equatorial Margin.

The company said the well sits about 175 to 180 km from shore, or roughly 109 to 112 miles. It is in water that is around 2.9 km deep.

Petrobras added that the results back up that oil is present. Still, it said there is not enough data yet to judge how big the potential reserve could be or what the quality is like.

Next, the firm plans to finish the drilling. After that, it will review the rock layers it identified. It will also follow its safety rules and environmental procedures.

This came after a prior oil discovery in the same area. Petrobras noted that early checks at that time pointed to oil that was of good quality.

The company says this work supports Petrobras as it looks for fresh spots to drill, since output from Brazil’s pre-salt area is expected to fall sometime between 2030 and 2035.  

At the start of the day, Petrobras stock on the New York exchange was down by almost 2% as world oil prices slid. After the update was released, the shares moved nearer to even.  

Big international oil firms are taking a closer look at offshore options in Brazil. Exxon Mobil said it will put about $3 billion into its operations there, with a focus on pre-salt. Other outside players are also watching the Equatorial Margin, an area that includes neighboring Guyana, which has reported several major oil finds.

From Farm Waste to Fuel: Brazil’s Sugar Industry Pushes Biomethane Expansion

Brazil’s sugar and ethanol sector is testing biomethane made from farm and factory leftovers. The goal is to find another low carbon fuel option for trucks, cars, and industry.

Some call this idea a “home grown pre-salt” path. The biomethane can be built using vinasse and filter cake, which come out of sugar and ethanol production. If it expands, mills could add new lines of income. It could also grow renewable power use in Brazil’s interior. Even so, new projects still need customers, better links for delivery, and business plans that can last.

Brazil could reach about 120 million cubic meters of biomethane each day, using several types of inputs, ABiogás says. The group added that 21 plants are already cleared to run. It also said 47 more facilities are waiting for sign off. This wait is with the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP). Josiani Napolitano, president of ABiogás, shared these points at the Nova Cana conference.

Biomethane starts with bacteria that digest plant and waste materials in the absence of oxygen. That process produces biogas. Biogas contains mostly methane and carbon dioxide. Next, the gas is cleaned to raise the methane level. After purification, it can be used instead of natural gas in multiple settings.

Sugar and ethanol makers can use leftovers from their own plants. That same waste can be turned into biogas. Some producers can then run power systems with that biogas right away. They do not need to upgrade it into biomethane first.

Napolitano noted that heavy trucks and city travel are already places where biomethane can hold its own versus diesel. He also said some factories are buying compressed biomethane. The goal is to swap out oil-based fuels on site. In the longer run, ships and planes may add more demand too. This would depend on better production paths and new infrastructure.

Growing the business will take joint work across several areas. That includes feedstock supply, plant output, delivery networks, deals, and checks for environmental rules. A central issue is how to price the cuts in emissions from the renewable fuel. This matters because biomethane often costs more than fossil options.

Brazil’s Future Fuel Law is likely to help boost demand. For 2026, the National Energy Policy Council wants producers and importers in the natural gas market to cut greenhouse gas output by 0.5% via biomethane use.  

This goal sits under the legal minimum of 1%. The council linked that choice to today’s supply and demand situation.  

Still, the target can be reached in two ways. One option is to buy biomethane, with Biomethane Guarantee of Origin Certificates as part of the plan. Another option is to buy only the certificates. 

From Denial to Disaster: The Bolsonaro Legacy and Brazil’s Climate Vulnerability

Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right Brazilian presidential candidate, could pose a risk to the rest of the world regarding the fight against global warming and the protection of the Amazon rainforest.

During an interview with Jornal Nacional, one of the most watched TV news programs in Brazil, Flávio Bolsonaro argued that during his government he would deal with global warming expanding "basic sanitation".

During the program, journalist Renata Vasconcellos recalled that, in a 2019 article, Flávio stated that global warming did not exist and described the topic as "apocalyptic rhetoric" intended to halt progress. When asked if he maintained that position in light of scientific evidence, Flávio Bolsonaro said there are "cyclical periods that are hotter" and others "that are colder."

By treating climate change as mere cyclical events — with periods when the planet warms and others when it cools — Flávio Bolsonaro chose to ignore decades of evidence and the consensus established by the global scientific community.

Climate change and the 2026 El Niño are already affecting how people live. They are showing up in public health. They also change how cities work. The natural world is being hit too. This is not just a simple sanitation problem.

Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, served as president of Brazil (2019-2023) and is currently imprisoned for attempting a coup d'état. His administration was marked by constant attacks on the Amazon rainforest and the institutions dedicated to environmental preservation in Brazil. It is worth recalling a meeting — which later became public —, during Bolsonaro’s term, in which the then-Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, argued that the government should take advantage of the fact that media and public attention was focused on the COVID-19 pandemic to push through sub-legal deregulation reforms, thereby increasing deforestation and timber sales; today, Salles faces criminal charges before the Supreme Federal Court (STF) for allegedly facilitating the smuggling of illegal timber.

2026 forecasts say a new El Niño pattern may grow stronger starting in October, the month of the presidencial election in Brazil. The El Niño could bring worse drought, more flooding, and higher wildfire risk in Brazil. It may also raise public-health problems.

In the Amazon region and the Northeast, rainfall usually drops during the El Niño. That can mean longer dry spells and more fires. In the South, cold fronts may move more slowly. When that happens, heavy rain can hang on for longer than normal.

The impact has been harsh in recent years. In 2023 and 2024, the effects were especially strong. In September 2023, water in an Amazon lake warmed from around 32°C to 40°C. The lake had shrunk during a major drought, and then the heat spiked.

Researchers also reported the deaths of 70 river dolphins in one day. They linked the deaths to the extreme heat. 

Southern Brazil had a spell of very heavy rain. In Rio Grande do Sul, September 2023 brought about three times the usual rainfall amount, and it all happened in 19 days. At the same time, the Rio Negro dropped to the lowest level ever seen in Manaus. The gap made it clear that the same broad weather setup can bring dry conditions to one place and big floods to another.

In May 2024, water rose fast in Rio Grande do Sul. The Guaíba River reached 5.37 metres, and that number beat the prior high set in 1941. Eldorado do Sul was left almost fully submerged, and much of Canoas was also flooded. The disaster took 184 lives. It also caused damage worth billions of reais and impacted the lives of 5.5 million people.

Climate change is a danger to the Amazon ecosystem. The forest sends a lot of water back to the air through evaporation. That helps support rain over parts of central and southern Brazil. When trees are cut and fires burn, that cycle can weaken. Then the ground and plants dry out more, and fires can spread more easily.

Smoke from the fires can harm people’s health fast. Tiny particles can get far into the lungs. Kids face the biggest risk. In the height of the 2024 fire season 3.7 million health appointments were tied to drought and smoke in just one month. Later, the smoke moved into southeastern Brazil. In São Paulo, air quality readings were among the worst seen around the world for days in a row.

Furhermore, Brazil’s danger is not only from climate pressures. The country has early warning systems and disaster prevention rules. But money has often gone to rebuilding after damage is done. It rarely covers prevention early. Before the Rio Grande do Sul floods, CEMADEN, the National Centre for Monitoring and Alerting of Natural Disasters, reportedly sent out many warnings. Still, only a small part of the disaster prevention budget was used before the floods reached nearby communities.

To make matters worse, the next El Niño may rank among the strongest since routine records started in the 1950s. It claims that how bad things get will not be set by Pacific Ocean heat alone. It also hinges on how ready Brazil is. That includes protecting forests, setting up plans to evacuate early, and putting money into prevention.

Those are public policies in which Jair Bolsonaro — and now Flávio Bolsonaro — simply do not believe and do not invest. On the contrary, if Flávio Bolsonaro comes to power, all indications are that he will weaken and defund these policies and the public agencies that implement them.

Brazil has already seen what can happen when leaders deny reality during a crisis, as was the case with Jair Bolsonaro. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this type of leadership led to more than 700,000 deaths. Now, the country could be hit by the worst El Niño on record. This threat emerges at a time when the Brazilian government could once again be led by someone who does not accept that the planet is warming. Flávio Bolsonaro treats the issue as if it were merely a matter of basic sanitation.

Deutsche Welle says Brazil and allies launch multilateralism push amid record global military spending and 65 active conflicts

Brazil, the European Union, Canada, and Kenya have started a diplomatic effort to back multilateralism, according to Deutsche Welle. They also want changes to how the United Nations works. This comes as the world grows more split and as violence between armed groups and states keeps rising.

On Sunday, the plan was unveiled in a statement printed in the Financial Times. The initiative is called “Partners for Multilateralism,” or P4M. It was signed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It also bears the signatures of European Council President António Costa, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Kenyan President William Ruto. The signers did this ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In the statement, the group warned that politics is becoming more divided. They also said countries are using economic ties as pressure. The manifesto pointed to new figures on conflict and spending. It said world military spending is at a record level of $2.9 trillion. It also said 65 armed conflicts between states were counted in 2025. That would be the most since 1946.

The document said the case for working together across borders is still strong. It noted that people do criticize the system that came after World War Two. Still, it argued that the core idea of global cooperation is clearer now than before. The group said it will push for reforms. They want the U.N. and other international bodies to be “more representative, legitimate, effective, and trustworthy.”

This push is being made while trust in international alliances is shaky. Some of that is linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. Others point to doubts about whether the U.N., the World Trade Organization, and NATO still matter. At the same time, changes inside the United Nations have stalled for years. The five permanent members of the Security Council can block action with their veto power. On top of that, the G20 has also become more fragmented since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

European Council President Costa described the P4M as an "open platform" designed for practical cooperation and bridge-building across different regions.

Therefore, P4M leaders say we are in a strange bind. According to them, the world is more closely connected than before. Trade crosses borders in more ways, and technology spreads rapidly. Yet politics is moving in the opposite direction. There are more wars than at any time since World War II. Tensions are also pulling people apart. Even institutions meant to maintain order, such as the UN, face growing strain.

Brazil Considers Raising Ethanol in Gasoline to 35% Amid Global Oil Pressures

The Brazilian government is considering raising the ethanol content in gasoline from 32% to 35% (E35) to reduce reliance on imports and boost biofuels, but it has sparked debate regarding prices, fuel consumption, and the impact on engines. Technical assessments will determine whether the change is adopted or not. 

The policy is an obvious response to the crisis triggered by the war between Iran and the United States, which drove up oil prices and makes inflation an increasingly difficult danger to manage. 

Although these test blends are not ready for pumps yet. Gas stations will not sell them until more rules are finished. Even so, some mechanics are already warning drivers.

They say a car built only for gasoline may use more fuel than before. They also expect a shorter driving range. Another concern is that the engine may burn fuel less efficiently if the mix changes.

Older vehicles face the bigger risk. A lot of them still have carburetors. Those systems do not adjust the air to fuel mix on their own. Specialists cited by the Brazilian site G1 say more ethanol may cut engine output and may also speed up wear and rust on carburetor pieces.

Older cars with metal fuel tanks may need to be swapped out too. That is partly due to the stronger ethanol mix. Newer plastic tanks, which show up on many vehicles made since the early 2000s, are often seen as less likely to run into the same issue.  

Specialists said the risks could look much like what people already see with the current 32% blend. Still, the harm may be worse.  

Engines made for ethanol or flex-fuel use are built with higher compression. They also run at heat levels that fit ethanol burning better. Gas-only engines are not set up for that same kind of operation.

Petrobras (PETR3; PETR4) Outperforms Aramco, Expands to Ivory Coast

Petrobras had a higher net profit margin than Saudi Aramco for the first time in the first half of 2026, based on an evaluation of company financial reports.

For that period, Petrobras showed a net margin of 29.15%. This means it kept 29.15 reais in profit for each 100 reais of sales. Saudi Aramco came in at 25.48%.

The list was put together by economist Cloviomar Cararine from Brazil’s Dieese research group and the Single Federation of Oil Workers, FUP. It looked at eight large oil companies from 2020 through the first half of 2026.

After Petrobras, the next figures were: Chevron at 18.01%. ExxonMobil at 16.33%. BP at 14.83%. Equinor at 12.84%. Shell at 9.94%. TotalEnergies at 9.44%.

In the first half, Petrobras reported net profit of 85.1 billion reais, or about $16.5 billion. That was up 37.6% compared with the same months in the prior year.

Cararine said the firm did better because it made more, benefited from higher world oil prices tied to the conflict between Iran and United States, cut some general costs, and leveraged Petrobras’ combined setup that covers both oil work and refining.

On Thursday, the company signed production sharing pacts with the Ivory Coast government and with Petroci Holding, the state oil company, covering eight offshore exploration areas.

Via Petrobras Netherlands B.V., Petrobras will own 90% and run the blocks labeled CI-513, CI-600, CI-601, CI-602, CI-603, CI-605, CI-701, and CI-702. Petroci keeps the other 10%.

The deals bring Petrobras into these offshore zones. They also fit the firm’s plan to look for fresh oil and gas reserves beyond Brazil.

TikTok Owner’s Brazil Project Hit by Legal Halt Request

A lawsuit in Brazil asks that a data center under construction by ByteDance, the TikTok owner, stop work and stay closed until a fresh environmental review is done. The site is in the northeast part of the country.

The case was filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Public Defender’s Office. They are challenging a project in Caucaia, Ceará. Their filing says the plan was cleared without enough checks on how it could affect nearby water and energy use.

ByteDance is calling this its first data center in Latin America. The company expects it to start running in 2027.

In the lawsuit, the groups claim the authorities relied on a Simplified Environmental Report. They say a full Environmental Impact Assessment should have been required, along with the public disclosure that usually comes with it. The filing also says local communities were not given a fair chance to take part in the approval process.

The project was announced with an investment figure of 200 billion reais, about $36 billion. It will be built inside the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was present at a launch event tied to the plan in November 2025.

Indigenous Anacé leaders and civil society groups have raised concerns about the project since 2025, citing alleged gaps in the licensing documentation and the potential effects of large-scale water and energy consumption in a region frequently affected by drought and water shortages.

The prosecutors and public defenders are seeking free, prior and informed consultation with the Anacé and other traditional communities, as well as the completion of the full environmental studies. They are also calling for greater transparency and monitoring of the facility’s water and electricity use.

Consumer rights group Idec, the Terramar Institute, the Public Policy and Internet Laboratory and Recife-based technology law group IP.rec support the legal action and have called for construction to be suspended immediately. They warned that continuing the work could entrench environmental and territorial damage before the alleged licensing failures are addressed.

The groups said talks with Indigenous communities and public hearings are different steps. They also said the steps work together, so both should happen. They added that communities that may be affected must be able to shape the outcome. They noted this should include the right to oppose the project.

The dispute comes after a June 2026 decision in Brazil by Conama, the National Environmental Council. That decision listed data centers as projects that could have major social and environmental effects. It also asked officials not to rely on quick licensing steps for these sites when the right safeguards are not in place.

The same groups want checks on the quick licensing process. They said similar steps were used for other data-center plans in Brazil.

Scaling Biomethane in Brazil: The Need for Advanced Gas Detection

Brazil should roll out a wide set of steps if it wants biomethane to compete with diesel and grow in heavy transport, a report commissioned by Instituto MBCBrasil says. The work was done with help from scientists at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), plus other groups.

The report argues that change will not come from one move alone. It calls for several items at once. These include carbon pricing and a push toward fuel-price balance. It also points to refuelling routes that connect key areas. Another part is tying waste streams into the system. The study also asks for support aimed at truck and bus fleets.

It notes what has happened in other places. Europe, the United States, India, and several other markets are cited. In those regions, biomethane did not take off by itself. Growth showed up when multiple policies were put in place together, not in isolation.

The report says biomethane is made in around 40 countries. It is used in transport in close to 30 markets. The review used many international sources and Brazilian material. Researchers from USP, the Federal University of Itajuba, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas, and the Maua Institute took part.

Glaucia Mendes Souza, a USP professor and lead of IEA Bioenergy Task 39, is listed as a study author. She said biomethane is a mature and workable option. She also said it brings wider benefits for multiple countries.

The report names carbon pricing as a major lever. It says carbon-intensity credits should be paired with credits tied to methane that was not released. This is most relevant when the fuel comes from livestock manure and other waste.

Brazil’s RenovaBio is used as a real-world example of a market style decarbonisation credit plan. California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, known as the LCFS, and it's impacts are described as a useful method for paying for biomethane based on carbon intensity. The report also notes that the LCFS played a role in inspiring RenovaBio.

In the case of biomethane from dairy cattle manure, Souza said LCFS credits created incentives near $45 per million British thermal units. For biomethane from landfill gas, the incentive was closer to about $4 to $4.25 per million British thermal units. The range depends on how methane emissions cuts are counted.

The report says the European Union wants to make 35 billion cubic metres of biomethane each year by 2030 as part of REPowerEU. It estimates spending of around 37 billion euros for that effort. It also notes that the United States has 470 renewable natural gas projects. For India, it cites more than 7.7 million gas powered vehicles.

It adds that Brazil is expanding while oil prices swing more often and fuel subsidies show the hazards of relying on oil. The text states that the federal government used 6.6 billion reais, or about 1.2 billion dollars, on fuel support in the first half of 2026. It says the government renewed the fuel support measures last week, with an expected cost of 7 billion reais each month. Most of that amount, it says, comes from higher diesel subsidies.

Production growth raises quality-control challenge

Brazil lifted its biomethane output by roughly 75% in 2025, reaching 1.06 million cubic metres each day. In 2024 the figure was 606,600 cubic metres per day, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, known as ANP, which updated the rules for the commercialization of biomethane in August.

By the start of August, Brazil had 21 plants cleared to sell biomethane. A further 48 plants were still waiting for approval. The cleared sites together could handle about 1.33 million normal cubic metres per day, based on industry figures.

This jump lined up with a change in rules. In August, the ANP signed Resolution 1006/2026. It brings together and revises the requirements for biomethane specs and how quality is checked. It also updates the test approaches, sets out how often total sulphur should be tracked, and adds tighter expectations for risk review and technical controls.

As more biomethane comes online, operators will need clearer and faster information about the gas composition as it moves through each step. Clean Environment Brasil, based in Valinhos in the interior of São Paulo, highlighted the urgent need for the sector to keep pace with these new parameters. According to them , these operations will only be viable with better environmental monitoring, gas detection, and analysis.

Biomethane is produced by cleaning up biogas. Biogas comes from the breakdown of organic material. It is mostly methane and carbon dioxide. If operators watch methane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and hydrogen sulphide, they can spot shifts in how the plant runs. They can then look into likely faults.

According to Eliezer Santos, a sanitation engineer and a business director at Clean Environment Brasil, when output grows in size, the data quality must not lag. He also said steady tracking can reveal patterns and sudden changes sooner than testing now and then. It also builds a past log that supports later technical choices.

Brazil may see much more biomethane soon. This would follow from 48 extra projects now in the authorisation pipeline. This growt, in turn, needs to be accompanied by measurement skills and the ability to read production data.

Beyond Fuel: How Brazil Plans to Export Biomethane Technology to the Global South

A study made for Instituto MBCBrasil says Brazil may sell biomethane know-how to other countries. It points to growing world demand for cleaner transport fuels. The work was done by teams from the University of São Paulo, the Federal University of Itajubá, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas, and Mauá Institute of Technology.

The report also looks past fuel output. It says Brazilian firms could provide more than one kind of service and product. That includes biodigesters, gas cleaning units, and ways to move liquid biomethane. It also mentions linked solutions that tie renewable gas production to making low-carbon fertilizer.

The study highlights the sugar and ethanol industry as a key base. It estimates a biomethane production potential of 41.4 billion cubic meters each year. That number is put at more than 41 billion liters of diesel. Still, the report says under 2% of this potential is used today.

Glaucia Mendes Souza, a professor at USP, helped lead the study. She is also linked to IEA Bioenergy Task 39. In the report, she says Brazil’s chance is not only to make the fuel. She adds that Brazil can also take the role of supplier of technology, equipment, engineering work, and connected solutions for other places trying to cut emissions.

The study said this know how could be shipped to Latin America, parts of Asia, and parts of Africa. Those places have a lot of farm waste. They also do not have enough biodigestion systems. It noted that Brazilian firms such as Cocal, Raizen, Sao Martinho, and Adecoagro have already built biomethane plans. They use vinasse and sugar cane leftovers. For the 2024/25 crop season, Brazil handled about 680 million tonnes of sugar cane. The study put vinasse output at about 380 billion liters.

Biomethane is made after biogas is cleaned up. The biogas starts when organic material breaks down. In Brazil, the biggest inputs include landfill material and farm waste. That includes waste from livestock, vinasse, and filter cake from sugar and ethanol mills. After cleanup, the fuel acts much like fossil natural gas. It can be used for heat, for factory use, and for transport. It can also be put into existing gas lines.

The report also said the world market can grow more. It said biomethane is made in around 40 countries. It is also used for transport in close to 30 markets. It estimated global sustainable biogas and biomethane at about 1 trillion cubic meters each year. That is about a quarter of today’s natural gas use worldwide. It added that the European Union wants 35 billion cubic meters of biomethane per year by 2030. It said this is supported by plans for about 37 billion euros in investment.

Switching diesel to biomethane can lower well to wheel carbon dioxide equivalent output by about 45% to 75%, based on the study. In certain waste and manure setups, the result can look even lower than zero. It may show a negative 246% gap versus diesel once methane leaks that would have happened are factored in.

The fuel might also hold up on price for large trucks and fleets. In total cost of ownership runs, compressed natural gas or biomethane came out to $1.73 per km. Diesel was $1.87 per km. The study also noted that in Brazil, biomethane could be roughly 30% cheaper than diesel in one case, or about 25% more expensive in another.

Comgás targets small and medium-sized customers

Comgás has rolled out a new biomethane option for smaller and mid-sized firms in Sao Paulo state. It is offered under a regulated structure. The name of the program is Mercado Cativo Verde.

At the start, the deal includes 2,673 cubic meters of biomethane each day. Over time, it can rise up to 50,000 cubic meters per day. That depends on how demand grows and how supply and rules play out.

The Sao Paulo Public Services Regulatory Agency approved the plan. Before this, getting biomethane from the distributor mainly worked for big industrial users. Those customers were in the state’s free gas market. That free market makes up roughly 80% of Comgás sales volume.

Now the focus is on other types of buyers. The list includes smaller factories. It also includes refrigeration operators, cogeneration projects, and mobility users. Examples are commercial fleets and compressed natural-gas stations.

Comgás says it will put about 10 billion reais into the effort through 2029. The spending is meant for things like expanding the network. It also covers resilience work and new links between biomethane producers and end users. The company also expects more room for its buyers in the free gas market in 2029. It also expects higher demand tied to decarbonization in commercial fleets.

Henrique Sonja, the supply director at Comgás, said the program is meant for customers who want biomethane as part of their sustainability work. He added that they also want the steadiness of a regulated market, without extra complexity.

Buyers are not asked to take the exact physical molecule made by a supplier. What they do must still be checked. The system requires that an equal volume be proven to be made, fed into the network, and then bought. After that, each volume’s environmental claim is logged in a tracking tool. When the purchase is completed, that entry is closed. This is meant to stop the same claim from being used again or resold.

The setup also relies on Biomethane Guarantees of Origin. These were made under Brazil’s Fuel of the Future law. Their job is to show the fuel’s renewable source and keep a clear trace. Comgás intends to charge for the biomethane and the environmental claim in one bill. The charge will follow the regulated market tariff rules.

In 2025, Brazil made 1.06 million cubic meters of biomethane each day. That is against a figure of 120 million cubic meters per day for technical potential. ABiogás, an industry group, set that estimate. ABiogás also says the biogas and biomethane chain could pull in 246 billion reais in investment. It could also create 110,000 jobs by 2035.

By June 2026, Brazil had 21 plants that were allowed by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels. Those plants had a combined installed capacity of 1.33 million cubic meters per day. At the same time, 48 more plants were in the approval process. If that work stays on track, total national capacity could reach 3.37 million cubic meters per day by 2028.