About the Conference

The purpose of the conference is to catalyze the development of biofuels in the Americas. Most hemispheric countries import fuel products or crude oil, whose escalating price has had a severe impact on their balance of payments and national economies. The socio-economic and political impacts of high fuel prices throughout the region are forcing governments and business to rethink their reliance on oil, seeking instead alternative transportation fuels, primarily ethanol and biodiesel. Energy security and sustainability in the Americas can and should be pursued by developing a portfolio of biofuels to supplement traditional fuel supplies. The recent MOU between the USA and Brazil underlines the determination of the two top biofuel-producing countries in the world to help the entire hemisphere move towards greater energy security through collaborative efforts.

Objective: The conference objective is to serve as a forum for Western Hemisphere energy stakeholders to discuss the status of biofuels technology development; how to overcome the challenges to commercialization; the potential for regional technology transfer; and how hemispheric collaboration can help the Americas collectively secure its energy future.

Focus Areas: The conference will address the issues surrounding two key areas within the biofuels industry.

• a. Biofuels Technology Status
  
  What is the suite of promising technologies? Which fuels constitute reliable alternatives to gasoline in different regions of the hemisphere? Who are the key players in the hemisphere and what is their production capacity of biofuels? How does the cost of alternative fuels compare to that of gasoline? What is the R&D maturity of the production technologies? What technical barriers at both the production and utilization level prevent such fuels from being widely accepted? How can those barriers be overcome through collaboration? What technological gaps exist among countries in the Americas? What is the potential for technology transfer to close such gaps and how can governments facilitate the process?
  
• b. Biofuels Investment Opportunities
  
  How realistic is the vision of a portfolio of alternative fuels in the marketplace? What are the key obstacles to commercialization from an investment prospective? What investment is required to expand alternative fuel capacity, production levels, and distribution? What are the prospects for inter-American export/import of alternative fuels? What incentives do countries currently offer? What synergies are needed across the region to promote closer collaboration in alternative fuel commercialization?