Brasília, 4/20/2004 (Agência Brasil) – Minister of Mines and Energy, Dilma Rousseff, and minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, met with the US secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham, yesterday in Brasília. According to Rousseff, Brazil is interested in using its sugarcane-based ethanol to generate electricity, but discussed a bilateral cooperation agreement with Abraham for studies on the development of not only ethanol and biomass fuels, but a hydrogen fuel.

"We would like to have a workshop this year on biomass with the Americans," said Rousseff, adding that, "The long-term goal is to develop a hydrogen fuel because it is the most efficient and least polluting." But, she pointed out, it will probably take 20 years to put a viable hydrogen fuel on the market to substitute natural gas, diesel and gasoline in power plants and vehicles. At the moment, said the minister, a timetable is being drawn up for research and technological exchange programs between the US and Brazil.

Translator: Allen Bennett