LEDS LAC - OECD CEFIM Bioenergy consumption and policy needs in Latin America and Caribbean

1. Bioenergy consumption and policy needs in Latin America and
Caribbean
Jinlei Feng
Programme Officer, Policy Advice
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Finance and Investment Mobilisation for Bioenergy Projects in LAC, 12 December 2022

2. Bioenergy plays an important role in global energy transition
Primary biomass supply in IRENA’s 1.5°C Scenario
Source: IRENA, 2022
Role of biomass for energy and feedstock by end-use sector in IRENA’s
1.5°C Scenario

3. Bioenergy provides two-thirds of total renewables demand in LAC region
Source: IRENA, 2022
Total renewable energy consumption in Latin America
and Caribbean region, by source, 2020 *
Bioenergy consumption in Latin America and Caribbean
region, by source, 2020 *
Note: These figures do not include most of traditional biomass use due to lack of data.

4. Direct combustion of solid biomass remains largest share
Source: IRENA, 2022
Countries with largest consumption of direct combustion of solid biomass in LAC, in TJ, 2020
Note: direct combustion of solid biomass include biomass used in CHP plants, sugar mills, sawmills, etc. However, these figures do not include estimation on
traditional use of biomass due to lack of data.

5. Liquid biofuels are widely deployed to decarbonise road transport
Source: IRENA, 2022
Countries with largest bioenergy consumption (excluding direct use of solid biomass) in LAC, in TJ, 2020

6. Policies and regulations are needed to tackle cross-cutting barriers
Policy uncertainty has been
a main barrier to developing
renewables, including
bioenergy, due to the lack of
long-term policy
commitments and targets.
Weak supply chains are
another major barrier for
large-scale bioenergy
projects. They also can be a
reason for high production
costs

7. A comprehensive policy framework is necessary to ensure sustainability

8. THANK YOU
jfeng@irena.org