Preparations to encourage the use of fuels made from renewable sources during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are well advanced. The idea is to use B20 – a blend of 20% biodiesel, 80% traditional diesel – in much of the city’s transport fleet, should Brazil be awarded the Games.
According to Waldir Peres, superintendent of the Urban Transport Agency (AMTU), the initiative is yet another legacy for the environment, since using biodiesel means less pollution.

The aim is for some bus and ferry routes to be using the green fuel, on a trial basis, between March and May of 2009.

“We will select major routes that link the main areas planned for the Games, namely Deodoro, Barra da Tijuca, South Zone (Copacabana) and Maracanã, and identify the buses that will use biodiesel. There are around 1,600 buses allocated for use by the Olympic Family, and I believe that we can use the fuel on other routes as well”, commented Mr. Peres.

Other sporting events, including the 2011 World Military Games and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, will form part of the strategy to showcase the Brazilian green fuel. Mr. Peres sees them as excellent opportunities to raise the international profile of biodiesel.

Last Friday, representatives of the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), the Rio de Janeiro Federation of Passenger Transport Companies (Fetranspor) and fuel distributors met to decide how to implement the project. The state government of Rio and car companies have also been involved in negotiations.