Brazil launches world-first engine built for ethanol-powered grid electricity

Brazil has started operational trials at the Suape II plant for what it says is the world’s first engine built to run almost entirely on ethanol for large-scale power generation.

Suape Energia and Wärtsilä completed implementation and are now testing the Wärtsilä 32M engine to produce grid electricity from sugarcane ethanol.

If the project succeeds, ethanol could become a storable, dispatchable low-carbon fuel for Brazil’s power system, improving energy security and supporting decarbonization.