08.30

Registration & welcome coffee

09.00

Chair’s opening remarks
Cliff Spencer, Agriculture and Bioenergy Advisor, United Nations Foundation

09.10

Electricity from Biomass in Latin America – Challenges & Opportunities

Climate change and recent volatilities in oil and gas prices have made biomass power generation more interesting and essential than ever before. The keynote session will give an overview of the current state of the bio power generation sector in Latin America. It will look at the latest developments, opportunities for growth and the market potentials on a Latin American level as well as an international level. 

Welcome Speech by the Ministry of Mines and Energy
Senior Representative, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil

Electricity from Biomass in Brazil

• Overview of the Brazilian bio power sector
• Examples from other Latin American countries
• Which feedstocks are used for bio power generation?
• In which direction is Latin America heading?

Mario Veiga, Chairman, PSR Consultoria, Brazil

Sustainable Bio Power Generation

• Biomass opportunities in Brazil
• Are the right policies in place?
• Latest market developments

Luis Fernando Mendonça Frutuoso, Renewable Energy Manager, Petrobras/CENPES

10.10

Q&A Session

10.30

Networking refreshment break 

11.10

The Bio Power Generation Sector in Latin America – Country Case Studies

The bio power generation sector in Latin America session will look at biomass power generation case studies from various countries. Brazil is the region’s leader regarding bio power generation but other countries like Chile, Mexico and Argentina are catching up with numerous projects in place.

Bio Power Generation in Chile

• Overview of the Chilean biomass power sector
• The need for a strong regulatory framework
• What are the inhibitors and drivers of growth?
• Outlook

Alex Berg, Executive Director, Universidad de Desarrollo Technológico, Chile

Bio Power Generation in Argentina

• The Argentinean bioenergy sector
• Production levels
• Biomass resources
• Next steps

Jorge Antonio Hilbert, Director, Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria INTA, Argentina

Bio Power Generation in Mexico

• The Mexican bio power market
• Which policies are in place?
• How can bio power be integrated into the national energy matrix?
• Future role of biomass power generation

Jorge Huacuz*, Head, Renewable Energy Research, Electrical Research Institute of Mexico, Mexico

12.10

Q&A Session

12.30

Networking lunch break

13.45

Biomass Resources

This session will look at the availability and feasibility of different feedstocks in various Latin American countries for biomass power generation. It will show the different opportunities countries have, depending on which feedstock is available in the region. 

Biomass Resources for Large Scale Bio Power

• How to increase biomass yields
• The relationship between suppliers and utilities
• How can byproducts be integrated into the feedstocks portfolio?
• Environmental aspects

Jose Roberto Moreira, President, Biomass Users Network Brazil, Brazil

Pellets in Latin America

• What role can pellets play in Latin America?
• Resource economics
• Production potential

Herwig Ragossnig, Project Manager Bioenergy & Renewable Energies, Seeger Engineering, Brazil

Usage of various biomass resources

• 4 different sources for biomass for energy
• How to minimize waste when handling biomass
• Economic perspectives

Alain Castro, President South America, Akuo Energy, France

14.45

Q&A Session

15.05

Panel Discussion: Key Sustainability Issues
Establishing a sustainable biomass supply chain is a key factor in bio power generation. This panel discussion will look at the need for sustainability criteria and the feasibility of sustainable feedstocks for large scale bio power production.

• What are the key sustainability issues?
• How can a sustainable biomass supply chain be established?
• What are the obstacles in different countries?
• The need for international sustainability standards
• How will certification be implemented?

Arnaldo Cesar da Silva Walter, Associate Coordinator, UNICAMP-NIPE Interdisciplinary Center of Energy Planning, Brazil
Herwig Ragossnig, Project Manager Bioenergy & Renewable Energies, Seeger Engineering, Brazil
Fernando Almeida, Executive President, Petrobras CEBDS, Brazil
Délcio Rodrigues, Project Director, Institutos Ekos, Brazil
Suani Teixeira Coelho, Director, Brazilian Reference Center on Biomass (CENBIO), Brazil

15.40

Networking refreshment break

16.20

Panel Discussion: Transport & Logistics
This panel discussion will look at the major challenges involved in biomass logistics and why it can be a barrier to growth in the bio power sector. It will focus on finding economically viable transportation solutions for internal and global markets.

• The relationship between suppliers and power stations
• Mobilization of biomass
• Import versus export
• How can supply chain structures be optimized?
• How can transportation obstacles be overcome?

Celso Marcelo de Oliveira, Managing Director, Brazil Biomass and Renewable Energy, Brazil
Ricardo Theler, President, GPEnergy, Argentina

16.55

Chair’s closing remarks

17.05

Close of day one & networking drinks

08.30

Welcome coffee

09.00

Chair’s opening remarks
Camila Ramos, Head of Research for Latin America, New Energy Finance, Brazil

09.10

Financing Bio Power Projects

This session will address financing trends and opportunities in biomass power generation. The current economic situation and its effect on the bio power industry will be analyzed. It will look at the role and benefits CDM plays in co-financing bio power plants and what risks are associated with it.

Initiatives to Finance Renewable Energy Projects

• What are the current initiatives available in Latin America?
• Programs in the public and private sector
• Accessibility of financing options

Alejandro Fros, Energy Regional Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank, Argentina

Biomass and the CDM

• The CDM as a co-financing tool for bio power generation
• Which projects will get approved?
• Advantages and disadvantages of the CDM in bio power

Christianne Maroun, Director of Climate & Sustainability, ICF International – Latin America, Brazil

Investment Opportunities in Energy Efficiency

• Who is investing into bio power and energy efficiency?
• What are the risks?
• CDM as a mechanism to co-finance bio power projects
• Impact of the current economic situation

Senior Representative, CONAE National Commission for Energy Conservation, Mexico

10.10

Q&A Session

11.30

Networking refreshment break 

11.10

Biomass Conversion Technologies

This session will look at the various biomass conversion technologies available and the economics of biomass power generation. Best practice examples for co-firing, direct-fired plants, gasification and landfill gas projects will be discussed in depth.

Generating Energy from Waste

• The latest waste-to-energy projects in Brazil
• What are the latest market developments?
• Technology developments
• Energy efficiency

Joana de Marsillac, Director Business Development, Mundo Limpo, Brazil

 Dedicated Biomass Plants

• State of the art technologies
• How can production efficiency be increased?
• The differences between wood fired and sugarcane bagasse fired plants
• Latest research on co-firing

Carlos Alberto de Verney Gothe, Business Development Manager, Tractebel Energia, Brazil

Dedini’s Sustainable Mill

• The concept of sustainability for mills
• The water free mill
• The latest design and technology developments
• Sustainable bio power generation outlook

José Luiz Olivério, Vice President, Dedini, Brazil

Biogas from Anaerobic Digestion

• The process
• Technical feasibility
• What are current obstacles?
• Which feedstocks can be used?

12.10

Q&A Session

12.30

Networking lunch break

13.45

Panel Discussion: Biogas in Latin America
This panel discussion will look at the biogas market in Latin America and its latest developments. Growth opportunities, market conditions and economics will be discussed together with the latest technology developments.

• Market synergies between natural gas and biogas
• How can usage be increased?
• Opportunities and risks for the agricultural sector
• What can be learnt from USA and Europe?

Ernesto Moeri, President, Ecogeo Group, Brazil
Antonio Carlos Delbin, Director, Biogás Energia Ambiental, Brazil
Francisco Santo, Carbon Markets, Ecoenergy Brasil, Brazil

14.20

Cogeneration in the Bagasse Sector

Bagasse cogeneration accounts for most of Brazil’s biomass power generation and still has tremendous growth potential. This session will look at the potential this sector has to help the country reduce its dependency on hydropower. It will examine how power from bagasse can reduce costs, eliminate waste and provide new revenue streams for sugar mills.

Sugarcane Bagasse Cogeneration in Brazil

• Potential of bagasse cogeneration
• State of the art technologies
• Future developments
• New opportunities for post 2017

Manoel Regis Leal, Former Industrial Technology Manager, Copersucar, Brazil

Bio Power from Sugar Cane Bagasse in the Energy Mix

• What are the main drivers for bagasse cogeneration?
• How can power from sugar cane bagasse be integrated into the national energy mix?
• Opportunities for sugar mills
• Social and environmental problems

Alexandre Strapasson, Director, Department of Sugar Cane and Agroenergy, Brazil

Cogeneration from biomass potentials in Latin America

• The growth potentials of bagasse cogeneration
• Feeding electricity into the grid
• Structured tax and fiscal policies

Matheus Salvadori, Analyst Consultant, Frost & Sullivan Latin America, Brazil

15.20

Q&A Session

15.40

Networking refreshment break 

16.15

Outlook and Transmission & Distribution

This session will review if the right infrastructure is in place and where it needs to be improved. Technical challenges and solutions will be presented to elaborate the way forward. It will look at the drivers for biomass power generation and the role it will play next to other renewables in the energy mix. The direction in which research and development is heading and where new opportunities are opening up will also be discussed in depth.

Feeding Renewables into the Electricity Grid

• What is the current situation for renewable energy and the electricity grid?
• What are the challenges?
• Latest developments

Cristina Vazquez*, President, Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Energia y Agua (URSEA), Uruguay

The Next Generation Biomass

• In which direction is bio power generation in Latin America heading?
• Which will be the most promising sectors?
• What is the latest research and development?
• Prospects for the industry

Carlos Roberto Silvestrin, Chief Executive Officer, Cogen-SP Association for Cogen Industry, Brazil

How to use algae biomass

• How to use algae biomass for fermentation?
• Conversion level
• How can the level of fermentation be increased?
• Future use of algae

Maulori Cabral, Project Manager, ProAlga, UFRJ, Brazil

17.15

Q&A Session

17.35

Chair’s closing remarks

17.40

Close of conference