Raphael Campos Ferreira Makarenko
Company: UNIDO
Country: Brazil
The GEF Biogas Brazil Project was a flagship international initiative that delivered an outstanding and measurable contribution to the advancement of anaerobic digestion and the biogas industry. Implemented between 2019 and 2025, the project played a transformative role in accelerating Brazil’s biogas market, positioning anaerobic digestion as a key solution for climate mitigation, circular economy and sustainable agro-industrial development. Led by Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and execution by CIBiogás, the project addressed structural barriers across the entire biogas value chain through an integrated approach combining policy support, technology demonstration, market instruments and large-scale capacity building. With US$ 7.8 million in GEF funding, it mobilized more than US$ 263 million in public and private cofinancing, supporting six demonstration biogas plants selected through a competitive public call that now serve as national benchmarks for performance, viability and replication. Beyond infrastructure, the project generated lasting institutional and market impacts by developing innovative business models, digital decision-support tools and Brazil’s national Biogas Information Platform (PiBiogás), strengthening data-driven policymaking and investment planning. It also trained over 10,000 professionals and students, and advanced South-South cooperation, technology adaptation and gender inclusion. The project received a Certificate of Excellence from UNIDO in January 2026.