On September 1, 2026, ANP published Technical Bulletins Nos. 4 and 5\/CGOB on the certification of biomethane producers and importers for the issuance of Biomethane Guarantee of Origin Certificates (CGOBs), effective upon publication on its website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technical Bulletin No. 4\/CGOB <\/strong>(link<\/mark><\/a>) requires producers and importers to contract an ANP-accredited Origin Certification Agent (“ACO”) to obtain certification, subject to independence and conflict-of-interest requirements. These include restrictions on the participation of individuals who provided certification-related consulting services or had ties to the company during the two years preceding the start of the certification process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certification includes an on-site audit of the production facility, with remote procedures permitted only for the documentary review stages. Verification covers: (i) the feedstocks used, their origin and documentary traceability; (ii) consistency between the volumes of feedstock received and processed; (iii) the technology employed; (iv) production metering systems; and (v) product traceability mechanisms. Upon completion of the audit, the ACO must submit the certification process report and the declaration of responsibility and conflicts of interest to ANP. If any outstanding issues are identified, any additional documentation requested must be submitted within 30 days, unless ANP sets a shorter deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following approval, the ACO will issue the certification, which will remain valid for four years from the approval date. Continued validity is subject to annual monitoring, with the first review to be conducted within two years and the second within three years of approval, using data covering the 12 months preceding each review. The certified entity must retain evidence of the book-entry recording and disposition of CGOBs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, changes to feedstocks or other certified information recorded in the CGOB require a new certification. If identified during monitoring, such changes result in cancellation of the certificate and prevent the generation of underlying feedstock for CGOB issuance until a new approval is obtained. Changes to registration details that do not affect the certified information do not require a new certification but must be reported within 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technical Bulletin No. 5\/CGOB<\/strong> (link<\/mark><\/a>) establishes the procedures for the ACO to submit the documentation required for certification approval through the Sistema Eletr\u00f4nico de Informa\u00e7\u00f5es (SEI), including the notice of engagement, the certification process report and the declaration of responsibility and conflicts of interest. It also governs ANP?s review of the documentation, its access classification and communications between the Agency and the entities involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 4, 2026, Law No. 15,496\/2026 (link<\/mark><\/a>) was published, establishing the Fertilizer Industry Development Program (Profert). The program aims to promote domestic production of fertilizers and their raw materials of synthetic, mineral and organic origin, as well as soil remineralizers, bio-inputs and biofertilizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law requires domestically produced synthetic and mineral fertilizers to be blended into products marketed, distributed and sold in Brazil. The mandatory blending percentage will be 2% as of July 1, 2027, and must reach 10% by January 1, 2037. From 2038 onward, the National Council for Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition may set percentages ranging from 10% to 30%, following a technical feasibility assessment. The annual percentages may be adjusted on justified public interest motives or due to insufficient domestic production and must subsequently be reinstated once the exceptional circumstances cease to apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Subject to budgetary and financial availability, the Federal Government may allocate funds to finance projects approved under the program, with the funds to be transferred by the Ministry of Finance to the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). Financing may cover plant modernization, reactivation and expansion; research, development and innovation; logistics infrastructure; and risk mitigation and price stabilization mechanisms through two-way contracts for difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Council for Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition must monitor the program and publish an annual report on investment, production capacity, additional output, dependence on foreign supply, competitiveness and security of supply. A biannual assessment of Profert’s economic, fiscal and strategic effectiveness will also be conducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 15, 2026, Law No. 15,504\/2026 (link<\/mark><\/a>) was signed, establishing the Special Tax Regime for Data Center Services (Redata). Companies implementing projects for the installation, modernization or expansion of data center services in Brazil may qualify for the regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Redata provides for the suspension of payment of PIS\/Pasep, Cofins, PIS\/Pasep-Importa\u00e7\u00e3o, Cofins-Importa\u00e7\u00e3o, IPI and Import Duty levied on electronic components and other information and communication technology products intended for incorporation into beneficiaries? fixed assets. The products covered will be specified by the Executive Branch. For Import Duty, the benefit will be restricted to items with no domestically produced equivalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To qualify, beneficiaries must meet their entire electricity demand through supply contracts or self-generation using renewable or low-emission sources. The replacement of the term “clean energy” during the legislative process broadened the wording, opening up for the potential for natural gas to be recognized as a low-emission source for supplying these facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law, however, does not expressly include natural gas among the eligible sources. Its eligibility will depend on regulations to be issued by the Executive Branch, which must establish the conditions for qualification and co-qualification, sustainability criteria and indicators, the means of demonstrating compliance with energy commitments, and the products covered by the tax benefits. To date, the decree regulating the law has not yet been published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On October 2, 2026, the Rio de Janeiro State Government, Agenersa and Naturgy entered into an agreement to settle the legal dispute concerning industrial consumers’ migration to the free natural gas market. The agreement provides for amendments to CEG’s and CEG Rio’s concession agreements to adjust the minimum volume required to qualify as a free user, reducing the threshold from 100,000 m\u00b3\/day to 10,000 m\u00b3\/day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agreement seeks to resolve the inconsistency between Agenersa Deliberation No. 4,068\/2020 (link<\/mark><\/a> – page 201), as amended by Agenersa Deliberation No. 4,142\/2020 (link<\/mark><\/a> – page 134), which sets the threshold for qualification as a free consumer at a contracted daily capacity of at least 10,000 m\u00b3\/day or an average daily demand of 10,000 m\u00b3\/day measured over a one-year period, and the existing concession agreements, which establish a threshold of 100,000 m\u00b3\/day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In July 2026, the Rio de Janeiro courts suspended the completion of migrations by consumers with demand below 100,000 m\u00b3\/day, as well as the effects of penalties imposed on the concessionaires. In September, Agenersa was authorized to resume its administrative review of applications, while the completion of migrations remained suspended. Following the agreement, migration applications already filed will continue to be processed without restarting applicable time limits or repeating previously completed stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On October 22, 2026, Pr\u00e9-Sal Petr\u00f3leo S.A. (PPSA) held the first auction of processed natural gas belonging to the Federal Government, produced from fields under the production sharing regime, through the electronic platform of the C\u00e2mara de Comercializa\u00e7\u00e3o de Energia El\u00e9trica – CCEE. 36 qualified companies participated in the auction, resulting in the sale of all 110 lots offered, equivalent to 1.1 million m\u00b3\/day of natural gas, purchased by 23 companies, with supply scheduled between March and December 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The general auction guidelines were established by CNPE Resolution No. 15, dated July 30, 2026 (link<\/mark><\/a>), published on August 25, which gives free consumers in basic industrial sectors priority access to the Federal Government’s processed natural gas. Supplementary rules were established by MME Normative Ordinance No. 141, dated September 22, 2026 (link<\/mark><\/a>), which requires at least one auction per calendar year and sets out the criteria for participation, lot allocation and the use of purchased volumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The auction was divided into five stages, with specific volumes allocated to each industrial segment. The chemical and petrochemical sector purchased 350,000 m\u00b3\/day, followed by the steelmaking, metallurgy and mining sectors, with 320,000 m\u00b3\/day; ceramics, with 200,000 m\u00b3\/day; nitrogen fertilizers, with 130,000 m\u00b3\/day; and glass, with 100,000 m\u00b3\/day. As all lots were sold during their respective stages, no additional round was required to sell remaining volumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winning premiums ranged from US$1.82\/MMBtu in the nitrogen fertilizer sector to US$4.00\/MMBtu in the glass sector. Contract prices will be calculated based on 115% of the average Henry Hub index quotations for the month preceding supply, plus the premium determined at auction, subject to the applicable exchange rate. PPSA estimates that the average price of the natural gas sold will be US$5.83\/MMBtu. According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the auction prices represent reductions of up to 57% compared with prices currently paid by industrial consumers. The nitrogen fertilizer sector recorded the largest reduction (57%), followed by the ceramics and chemical and petrochemical sectors (56%), the steelmaking, metallurgy and mining sectors (46%), and the glass sector (38%). The natural gas will be made available at the outlet of the Itabora\u00ed Gas Treatment Unit, at the Boaventura Energy Complex in Rio de Janeiro, with buyers responsible for arranging transportation to their consumption facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under MME Normative Ordinance No. 141\/2026, purchased volumes must be used for buyers’ own consumption. As a rule, resale, assignment or transfer to third parties is prohibited, subject to the exceptions provided for in the regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The inclusion of carbon intensity information in the CGOB is optional and subject to verification of the methodology and data used. In case there is a valid RenovaBio certification in place, validation of that certification dispenses with further verification of carbon intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nProfert establishes policy to promote domestic fertilizer production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRedata signed into law, opening up the possibility of natural gas use by data centers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRio de Janeiro State Government and Naturgy enter into agreement to enable migration to the free gas market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPPSA holds first Federal Government’s natural gas auction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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