Brazil

Index rank 53

Energy Sustainability Index Rankings

 2010  2011  2012  Trend
Energy Performance  56  44  54 
Energy Security  79  62  77 
Social Equity  64  65  65 
Environmental Impact Mitigation  17  16  21 
       
Contextual Performance  53  52  48 
Political Strength  51  50  49 
Societal Strength  48  49  46 
Economic Strength  60  52  50 
       
Overall Rank  56  45  53 
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Fossil Fuel Resources

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Key Metrics

Industrial sector (% of GDP) 27.5
TPEP / TPEC  (net energy importer) 0.87
Emission intensity (kg CO2 per USD) 0.74
Energy affordability (USD per kWh) 0.19
GDP / capita (PPP, USD); GDP Group 11,314 (C)
Energy intensity (million BTU per USD) 0.02
CO2 emissions (metric tons) / capita) 2.21
Population Access to Electricity (%) 98.3
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Index Commentary

Brazil’s decrease by eight places to rank 53 in the Index is driven by a weaker performance in energy security and environmental impact mitigation. Energy security drops due to a decrease of the wholesale margin on gasoline, which makes energy security Brazil’s weakest dimension (rank 77). Generally, Brazil exhibits especially weak oil reserve stocks, a weak wholesale margin on gasoline and sustained energy consumption growth. Not reliant on fossil fuels Brazil has a strong environmental performance (rank 21) and outperforms other countries with similar energy intensity in mitigating the environmental footprint. Brazil exhibits slight improvements in all contextual dimensions. Economic strength, Brazil’s weakest contextual dimension increases slightly due to improved macroeconomic stability.

Trends and Outlook

The country’s most recent energy policy developments were directed to: 1) the development of large offshore oil and gas reserves found under a layer of salt in 2007 (“pre-salt”); 2) the development of renewable energy sources including wind and solar power, and biomass derived energies, including ethanol, bagasse, biodiesel ; and 3) implementation of energy prices that encourage energy efficiency and saving. The transportation sector is expected to contribute to energy efficiency measures, including electrical vehicles, roads improvement, as well as increased railroads and waterways transportation. These developments are expected to have a strong impact on, and lead to improvements in, all three dimensions of the energy policy trilemma. Policymakers should focus on 1) the possibilities presented by biomass, including sugar cane, planted wood and other crops; and 2) the opportunities arising from the successful exploitation of the “pre-salt” oil and gas deposits. Both will impact the country’s energy security positively and change Brazil’s role in the global energy market, but the effects on the environment need to be considered. Lastly, the development, financing and implementation of energy efficiency programs, involving thousands of processes and appliances and millions of consumers on which the success of such measures depend, should advance more quickly.

Notes

1) Data for shale gas resources not available; 2) Data for shale oil is for resources in place