Ethanol Summit 2011 Emphasizes Brazil's Role In Global Quest For Low-Carbon Solutions

SAO PAULO, Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The third edition of one of the world's top events dedicated to renewable energies, with special focus on ethanol and other sugarcane by-products, is confirmed for June 6th and 7th. The Ethanol Summit, launched in 2007 and held every two years, is organized by the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA).

The defining phrase adopted this year - "Solutions for a Low-Carbon Economy" – is emblematic of what the content of the event will be like this year. "We will further broaden the debate, bringing to the table a growing variety of cane by-products that contribute directly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, making sugarcane and ethanol increasingly important tools in the pursuit of the so-called low-carbon economy," said UNICA President Marcos Jank.

As in the first two editions in 2007 and 2009, this year's Summit will bring together at Sao Paulo's Grand Hyatt Hotel leading business executives, experts, investors, NGO representatives and government officials from Brazil and other countries, whose expertise and activities are directly relevant to the Brazilian and global sugar and ethanol industries. Over 1,000 participants and 400 accredited media are expected for each of the two days of the event, which will feature some 120 speakers in four plenary sessions, 15 panels, two major ceremonies as well as parallel meetings and side events.

Swedish heavy truck and bus manufacturer Scania is confirmed as one of the Summit's official sponsors for 2011. The company has developed and manufactures ethanol-powered trucks and buses for urban use since the late 1980s. Currently, more than 800 Scania ethanol-powered buses are in service in various European cities, especially in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The city is committed to replacing half its public transport fleet with vehicles powered by renewable energies by 2012. The first 50 units of Scania's ethanol-powered buses produced in Brazil will debut on the streets of Sao Paulo in May of this year.

Confirmed sponsors of the 2011 Ethanol Summit also include U.S. biotechnology company, Amyris, a pioneer in the development of hydrocarbons like gasoline, jet fuel and diesel from sugarcane; BP, the first oil company in the world to invest in ethanol production; Honda's motorcycle division, a pioneer in the development and production of flex-fuel motorcycles; and Total, the French oil giant that announced, in December 2010, its intention to invest in ethanol production in Brazil.

Among confirmed media partners are the British business daily Financial Times; global news agency ThomsonReuters; the world's most read newsletter focused on biofuels, Biofuels Digest; the leading European magazine dedicated to the topic, Biofuels International; and the Brazilian Sugarcane Yearbook, which will be distributed to all Summit participants at the end of the event.

"Brazil has taken a leading role in global alternative energy discussions. UNICA has been working to create awareness and disseminate information on renewable energies. New and emerging technologies and applications can benefit both developed and emerging economies, because energy affects the entire planet," says Marcos Jank, and he adds: "The Ethanol Summit is a key channel of global dissemination for both the impressive results achieved in Brazil and the prospects of this success being repeated in many other parts of the world."

Registration for the 2011 Ethanol Summit, as well as media accreditation to cover the event, are now open at www.ethanolsummit.com.br.

ABOUT UNICA

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) represents the top producers of sugar and ethanol in the country's South-Central region, especially the state of Sao Paulo, which accounts for about 60% of the country's sugarcane harvest and of total ethanol production. UNICA develops position papers, statistics and specific research in support of Brazil's sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity sectors. In 2010, Brazil produced an estimated 620 million metric tons of sugarcane, which yielded 37.8 million tonnes of sugar and 27.4 billion litres of ethanol, making it the number-one sugarcane grower and sugar producer in the world, and the second-largest ethanol producer on the planet, behind the United States.

SOURCE Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA)