‘We are working on the development of LPG of renewable origin’

In Latin America there would be between 30 and 50 million families using firewood and charcoal for cooking, according to Aurelio Ferreira, president of the Ibero-American Association of LPG Gas.

For this reason, he pointed out that the industry has worked on the penetration of this energy in the region, although he explained that the support of governments is required to replace these polluting fuels.

(See: Petro continues without powers to intervene in public services).

In addition, he explained that they are also betting on the energy transition, using options such as biogas.

What is the status of LPG coverage in the region?
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The Association covers the entire continent from Mexico to Argentina and includes Portugal and Spain. While there are many regional differences, there are also many commonalities between countries; It is a market that annually consumes 30 million tons of LPG.

It is a region in which there is a very strong presence and almost all regions are reached with this energy, it has a very large capillarity. All countries have a very significant volume of use, because energy reaches 6% of cities and even reaches 90% of homes in some.

It is important, because this gas burns very cleanly, with low emission levels compared to other sources of energy such as firewood and coal, which is why it also has applications in industries and services, which is another of the large markets.
The use of vehicular LPG is also advancing, but that depends a lot on the countries.

What has been the progress in the penetration of this energetic?
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It has been having an important growth, related to the growth of the population that increases the demand; there is also growth in the economies and when per capita income increases there are improvements in access to energy. The improvement in the quality of life.

In addition, this is a very resilient market, which is maintained and does not suffer from crises, because it is an essential product and it is hardly affected by these difficulties.
This is a time when there is a lot of talk about the energy transition and the role of gas.

(See: La Guajira will have a new public wind farm).

In the case of liquefied petroleum gas, what is its role?
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LPG will be very important for the transition, because what is thought is to change the most polluting fuels to go to other renewables, but this is not a decision that is made from one moment to another. A bridging fuel is needed to make the change gradual.

The gas also has a lower emission of particulate matter, so it burns cleaner and more efficiently.

Another important point is that renewable energies are not constant in their supply and for this reason a constant energy source is needed. LPG is a good option.

There are already applications for solar projects that use LPG at night to maintain power delivery.

Another advantage is that it is an energy that can be distributed locally because it is not necessary to invest in gas pipelines or infrastructure, but can be taken wherever it is needed.

Another effort that the industry is making is the development of LPG of renewable origin. We use raw materials such as biofuels or eventually biogas to produce it. This is an issue that the industry is working on and in about 20 years there could be a massive production of this fuel.

What progress has been made in the region in this area?
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It is in the development stage, until now they are all pilots and there is no production in commercial volumes. There are many routes and ways to produce this fuel, but it depends a lot on the raw material, and work is underway to study which is the most efficient available, in addition to doing all the studies to understand how it could be applied.

(See: Compañía Energética de Occidente will invest $335,000 million).

What effects has the use of this gas had on reducing poverty?
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This is a very important issue in the region. There are many families that use firewood as energy for cooking, there may be between 30 and 50 million, and it translates into many health problems for families due to smoke inhalation that causes respiratory problems.

We call this energy poverty and we have to think about improving this situation in families, improving the quality of life. It is difficult to estimate how many families use this type of energy, but the intention of the industry is to support countries so that they can switch from cooking fuel to LPG.

However, this is a social problem that cannot be solved by companies and the support of governments is needed, which in many countries are looking for the tools to make this possible.

What are the regional challenges to encourage this energy?
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There are several relevant issues. One of the most relevant for us is safety, which for us is defined by respect for the brand of cylinders, because the logic of this is that companies can take responsibility for the products and ensure that the process be safe.

This is a product that reaches homes and accidents, which can occur, must be avoided.

The second is free competition that allows for good investment and good market practices. For this, proper regulation is needed.

Regarding subsidies, each country analyzes its policies, but the main challenge is to get people out of energy poverty.

(See: ‘We have three investment projects’: Hitachi Energy).
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DANIELA MORALES SOLER
Journalist Portfolio