en.Wedoany.com Reported - Brazil's Grupo Potencial has revised the timeline for its BRL 6 billion investment plan, with the expansion target originally set for 2030 potentially postponed to 2032. Vice President Carlos Eduardo Hammerschmidt acknowledged the adjustment in an interview, citing delays in the implementation of Brazil's mandatory biodiesel blending policy (B16) and instability in international commodity markets.

Hammerschmidt noted that although the Future Fuel Law (Lei do Combustível do Futuro), passed in August 2024, established a clear roadmap for biodiesel blending ratios (B16 in 2026, B17 in 2027, B18 in 2028, up to B20), the government has repeatedly postponed related meetings at the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE), leaving the legally mandated target of implementing B16 by March 2026 unfulfilled. Currently, Brazil's mandatory blending ratio remains at B15, directly impacting the group's revenue expectations from its biodiesel operations. He stated that Brazil's annual biodiesel production capacity reaches 16 billion liters, but actual output is only 10 billion liters, resulting in significant idle capacity across the industry.

Due to the policy delays, Grupo Potencial has revised its 2026 revenue forecast downward from BRL 14 billion, with the vice president believing it could at least "match" the BRL 12 billion recorded in 2025. However, this year's investment plan remains unchanged at BRL 2 billion. Construction of the group's third biodiesel plant has already begun, with completion expected in February or March 2027, which will increase the company's annual biofuel production capacity to 1.7 billion liters. Additionally, a soybean crushing plant with an annual processing capacity of 1.15 million tons began operations in March, and a refined glycerin plant has also been completed. The expansion plan also stipulates that crushing capacity will increase to 2.3 million tons per year in the coming years.

While biofuel policy progress has fallen short of expectations, the group continues to advance other projects. A biomethane project is expected to start production in February 2027, with an investment of BRL 120 million, aiming to convert industrial waste into gas to meet the company's own boiler needs. On June 30, the group announced the purchase of 31 additional Volvo B100 flexible-fuel trucks at its headquarters in Lapa, but the company noted during the event that restrictions on pure biodiesel sales at gas stations remain a constraint for truck dealers and biofuel producers. Plans for a corn ethanol plant remain unchanged, with preliminary permits already obtained and construction expected to begin in 2027. The facility is designed to process 3,000 tons of corn per day, producing 450 million liters of ethanol annually. Once all expansion projects are completed, the company's annual revenue is expected to approach BRL 20 billion.