At the beginning of March 2024, the photograph of the Brazilian electrical matrix shows an installed or licensed capacity in operation in the country of 201,880 megawatts, without considering distributed micro and mini generation. Renewable sources (hydroelectricity, wind, solar and biomass) totaled 169,559 megawatts of the electrical matrix, equivalent to 84% of the total.

The biomass source in general (which includes the various biomasses) represents 8.6% of the power granted in Brazil's electrical matrix in March this year, with 17,385 megawatts installed, occupying 4th position in the matrix, behind hydro, wind and gas sources Natural.

The biomass source from sugar cane (bagasse/straw) represented the main source of biomass generation, with 12,411 megawatts installed in March (71.4% of biomass in general), followed by black liquor fuel, with 3,335 megawatts, and forestry waste, with 820 megawatts.

Furthermore, in March 2024, a total of 23,642 generating plants were in commercial operation in Brazil, with biomass being responsible for 637 generating units (2.7% of the electrical matrix in terms of generating units).

Of the 637 generating plants operating in March this year, 422 operated with sugarcane bagasse/straw as their main fuel. Secondly, 76 generating units operated with forestry waste and 26 generating units produce biogas with urban waste.

In 2023, biomass installed 10 new generating units totaling 223 megawatts, representing 2.2% of the total increase in installed power in the electrical matrix across all generation sources (10,324 megawatts), well below the average of the last 10 previous years (2013 to 2022), when biomass had an average increase of 691 new megawatts each year, according to a survey carried out by the Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Union, based on data from the National Electric Energy Agency.

The good news is that, for the year 2024, the National Electric Energy Agency's forecast is that the biomass source will reach an increase of 1,155 megawatts, the highest value since 2013, with the installation of 24 generating plants, one of which is already came into operation in February (31 megawatts) and the remaining 23 plants have high feasibility of entering into commercial operation this year.

In 2024, biomass is expected to represent 11% of the increase in installed capacity in the country. In volume, the record for annual increase in biomass was 2010 (1,750 megawatts), followed by 2013 (1,431 megawatts) and 2009, which ends up tying with 2024 (1,155 megawatts).

In 2024, the majority of the 23 plants that will enter commercial operation this year, totaling 1,124 megawatts, will have agro-industrial waste as their main fuels (categorized as sugarcane bagasse/straw, biogas, elephant grass and rice husk).

There will be 16 plants using agro-industrial waste (six in São Paulo, four in Goiás, two in Minas Gerais and one unit in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Mato Grosso do Sul and Roraima). The other generating units will have forestry biomass (five plants), liquid biofuels (one plant) and urban solid waste (one plant) as their main fuel.

In terms of megawatts, the 16 plants with agro-industrial waste will install 559 new megawatts in 2024 (49.7% of the total of 1,124 megawatts). In second place, we have the five plants with forest biomass, with 499 megawatts (44.4% of the total), followed by the plant with liquid biofuels, with 57 megawatts (5% of the total), and the plant with urban solid waste closes the gap. series, with almost 9 megawatts (0.8% of the total).

However, for the year 2025, the National Electric Energy Agency's forecast is that biomass will add only 240 new megawatts of the 10,890 megawatts planned to be installed in the country (2.2% of the total), ahead only of hydroelectric plants, which will install 195 megawatts (1.8% of the total).

In 2025, centralized solar generation will be the main one in terms of new megawatts, with the installation forecast of 5,803 megawatts (53.3% of the total), followed by fossil fuels (2,469 megawatts, with 22.7% of the total). Wind farms will occupy third place, with 2,184 new megawatts (20% of the total to be installed across the country in 2025).

Bioelectricity and biogas represent renewable, non-intermittent sources that are strongly complementary to hydroelectric plants, helping to continue the expansion of intermittent wind and photovoltaic co-sisters, in the maintenance of hydroelectric reservoirs and in the management and safety of the interconnected system.

It is important that we establish a stimulating and long-term sectoral policy for bioelectricity and biogas. Such sectoral policy must prioritize basic guidelines, involving the joint effort of public and private agents, including advancing with the institution of mechanisms, in the regulated and free energy markets, that value the locational, electrical, reliability, environmental, economic and social benefits arising from the use of bioelectricity and biogas.

Furthermore, we increasingly need to establish in sectoral planning instruments a structuring and integrated vision of bioelectricity and biogas with other bioenergy products in the country's energy matrix (ethanol, biomethane, hydrogen, etc.), associated with energy security and the commitments regarding climate change made by the different levels of government in the country.