Brazil’s Petrobras Exports First Shipment of Ethanol

30 July 2005

ANBA. Petrobras, the Brazilian state-owned oil, gas and energy company, made its first export shipment of ethanol this week, destined for Venezuela. Initial forecasts are for a monthly shipment of some 25,000 cubic meters (some 6.6 million gallons US).

The company had announced earlier this year that it intended to begin participating in the renewable fuels export market. Petrobras will invest US$330 million in the next five years to develop the requisite transport infrastructure.

The company hopes to have a capacity for export of 8 billion liters (2.1 billion gallons US) by 2010. In 2004, Brazilian companies sold 2.4 billion liters (634 million gallons US) into the world market.

Petrobras’ next ethanol customer will be China, with Japan not far behind (earlier post).

Venezuela is ending the use of Tetra-ethyl lead in its gasoline in August. As a replacement, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) will initially add 8% ethanol to gasoline in the eastern region of the country, with a 10% blend countrywide targeted in the future.