Sugar Cane Ethanol a $2 Billion Bet for Shell

TriplePundit.com
By Leon Kaye August 27th, 2010

Brazil has built a respectable renewable energy policy over the past 35 years. Spooked by the oil crises of the early 1970s, Brazil’s government promoted ethanol from sugarcane as fuel. Flex-fuel vehicles that run on gasoline or ethanol caught on, and now account for over 90% of Brazil’s automobile sales. Since 1976, pure gasoline has no longer been sold in Brazil; a mix of anywhere from 10% to 25% of cane-based ethanol must be blended with gasoline before going from the pump to the gas tank. And a huge deal announced yesterday will further extend the reach of Brazilian ethanol.

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