The event "G20 Dialogue - Energy Transitions" took place in Brasília and gathered representatives of the public and private sectors in order to engage Brazilian society in discussions on the topic. The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, stressed the importance of taking advantage of different energy sources such as hydroelectric plants, wind energy, biofuel and strengthening the green industry for sustainable development and to generate jobs and income.
"We are protagonists of the global energy transition. We are the new industry, the green industry", said the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, at the opening of the event "G20 Dialogue - Energy Transitions" that took place on Wednesday (28) in Brasilia. The minister stressed the importance of strengthening the green industry for sustainable development and to generate jobs and income.
He also emphasized the social dimension of the theme and the need to tackle energy poverty in all its forms, focusing on ensuring universal access to electricity and clean cooking technologies. Therefore, the Ministry will launch at the ministerial meeting of the Energy Transition Working Group, in Foz do Iguaçu, the National Clean Cooking Policy to promote the replacement of the use of firewood. "Our priorities are the health and dignity of people, especially women and children, the biggest victims of polluting cooking."
According to the minister, Brasil's great strength is its energy pluralism, thus another priority is to promote the development of markets for clean fuels, with emphasis on the potential of Brazilian biofuels such as ethanol and green diesel.
The general director of Itaipu Binacional, Enio Verri, highlighted the Brazilian leadership in the debates on the transition to clean and renewable sources of energy. "President Lula, as the current president of the G20, can encourage the debate on the fact that energy transition is possible, can be achieved and must be achieved, not only in the 20 largest countries, but worldwide", said Verri.
The Director of Infrastructure, Energy Transition and Climate Change of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Luciana Costa, added that the transition will only happen with the participation of the oil and gas sector. It will not be like the transition from analog to digital, when companies such as Kodak went bankrupt and new ones such as Google emerged. "The energy transition is not a disruption, it is a transition. So, we will continue to live with fossil fuels and transition to a future of carbon neutrality, which is not net zero".
The president of Petrobras, Magda Chambriard, reminded the audience that when she started working at the company in 1980, many did not believe that the Pro-Alcohol program would work. However, today ethanol is competitive in the market. "Therefore, the energy transition has been happening in Brasil for decades, we have the cleanest energy mix among the G20 countries, and Petrobras was decisive for Pro-Alcohol and biodiesel. Thus, I am sure that Petrobras will continue to be part of this process".
The Director of Infrastructure, Energy Transition and Climate Change of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Luciana Costa, added that the transition will only happen with the participation of the oil and gas sector. It will not be like the transition from analog to digital, when companies such as Kodak went bankrupt and new ones such as Google emerged. "The energy transition is not a disruption, it is a transition. So, we will continue to live with fossil fuels and transition to a future of carbon neutrality, which is not net zero".
The main objective of the dialogue was to engage Brazilian society in the discussions of the three priorities of the Brazilian presidency of the G20 within the theme of energy transition. These are: access to financing for the energy transition, focusing mainly on developing countries and emerging economies; the social dimension of the energy transition, for it to be fair and inclusive, and the importance of an integrated approach to sustainable fuels.
The event in the country's capital was held by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) with the support of the National Electric System Operator (ONS) and Itaipu Binacional. The "G20 Dialogue - Energy Transitions" is part of a series of preparatory meetings for the Ministerial Meeting of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group, which will be held on October 4 in Foz do Iguaçu, a city in the Brazilian state of Paraná.
