SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA — More than 80 biofuel specialists and key public and private sector representatives from Central America gathered at the Growing Energy conference, held recently at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Costa Rica.

The event, organized by the US Grains Council’s (USGC) Latin American office, focused on the challenges and opportunities associated with biofuels, particularly ethanol, in advancing agro-industrial growth and achieving carbon-reduction targets.

Ryan LeGrand, president and chief executive officer of the USGC, highlighted the organization’s commitment to the region’s energy transformation and praised the Costa Rican government’s leadership in advancing an ethanol blending program, particularly its collaboration between the USGC and the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy.

“We cannot limit ourselves to wishing for increased food production or relying on impractical solutions,” LeGrand said. “It is essential to create sustainable markets through successful agriculture.”

Blending practices also were discussed as Caleb Wurth, USGC regional director for Southeast Asia and Oceania, shared insights from the Philippines and Reece Cannaday, USGC regional director for South Asia, discussed developments in India. Additionally, US experts provided an in-depth look at the US experience with ethanol blending.

During a panel discussion, energy leaders from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama outlined their countries’ biofuel strategies. Costa Rica Vice Minister of Energy Ronny Rodríguez spoke about the nation’s goal of achieving a 10% ethanol blend in premium gasoline by 2026 and representatives from Guatemala and Panama discussed similar targets, with both countries planning to finalize agreements by 2024 and implement ethanol blending in the next two years.

The seminar culminated in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing between the Council and IICA. The agreement recognizes the essential role of biofuels in the energy transition and is a statement of intent from both organizations to provide policymakers and regulators with the necessary training and technical expertise to legislate the industry.