The summit’s timing coincided with the Senate’s scheduled plenary session in the Illia Hall, where the Committees on Mining, Energy and Fuels and Budget and Finance planned to review seven distinct biofuels reform proposals. While the projects vary in detail, they generally align on increasing blend mandates for both bioethanol and biodiesel in gasoline and diesel respectively. The bioethanol blend increase from 12% to 15% emerged as a central focus, with industry representatives positioning the change as essential to stimulating new investment and expanding sustainable fuel production capacity.
Acevedo emphasized the need to reduce regional asymmetries and establish clear rules governing relationships between oil companies and biofuel producers to ensure predictability. He stressed that Tucumán and northern provinces possess installed capacity and industrial infrastructure to advance renewable energy development, contingent on investment flows and legal certainty. The vice governor argued against delaying the transition from the 12% to 15% blend mandate, framing rapid implementation as critical to sector development.
Senator Ávila compared the current legislative environment favorably to contentious 2021 debates, noting broader consensus now exists among nine provincial governors, the Industrial Union, and various biofuel subsectors. She characterized the existing biofuels law as exhausted and advocated for the Senate as the appropriate starting point for reform, given its smaller membership and direct provincial representation. The summit featured technical presentations on technological advances and bioethanol’s role in achieving a cleaner, more federalized energy matrix.
Representatives from Argentina’s corn-based bioethanol sector also participated, including Patrick Adam, president of the Cámara de Bioetanol de Maíz de Argentina. National Deputy Andrés Leone, a legislative proponent of government-backed reform proposals, attended alongside Verónica Geese, former Santa Fe Energy Secretary, and biofuels specialist Claudio Molina. Regional cooperation between Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy strengthened through the summit, with participants advocating for state policies establishing a regulatory framework offering legal security and investment predictability for biofuel producers.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
