Brazil is the World Leader

Brazil is the world's leader in ethanol production and use; it is an established part of Brazil's energy matrix, and provides an estimated 30 per cent of Brazilian road transport fuel.

It is estimated that it will take the European Union 10 to 20 years to develop an equivalent ethanol infrastructure. Brazil leads the world in biofuel use, and hence has the highest renewable transport fuel use of any nation. Looking at the energy matrix of Brazil as a whole, renewable energy provides 44% of total energy requiremants, significantly ahead of the world avarage.

Brazil began using ethanol on a large scale following the introduction of the Pro-Alcool programme in 1974, which had the aim of reducing the impact of the oil crisis on the Brazilian economy. The Pro-Alcool programme was one of a series of measures introduced by the Brazilian government intended to shift the country away from dependence upon imported fuels and achieve energy self sufficiency. The sugar cane sector contributes approximately 13% of total Brazilian energy requirements and helped Brazil achieve energy self sufficiency in 2004.