Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has opened a public consultation on a proposed greenhouse-gas emissions-reduction target for the country’s natural-gas market beginning in 2027.
Public Consultation No. 234/2026 is listed on the ministry’s consultation portal as running from October 6 through November 6, 2026. It concerns targets for the 2027-2030 cycle under Brazil’s biomethane framework.
The ministry is proposing a 1% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions in the natural-gas market for 2027. Under the proposal, the target would be fulfilled through the participation of biomethane in natural-gas consumption. It is not a target specifically for reducing methane emissions.
What happened
The consultation presents a proposed annual target for 2027 and indicative targets for the following three years. The ministry’s draft points to reductions of 3% in 2028, 4% in 2029 and 5% in 2030.
Those later targets are indicative rather than final. The consultation itself also does not adopt the proposed 2027 target. It is a stage for public participation before the annual target is defined through the process established by federal law.
The underlying legal framework is Law 14,993, enacted on October 8, 2024. The law provides for annual greenhouse-gas reduction targets in the natural-gas market and assigns the National Energy Policy Council, known by its Portuguese acronym CNPE, responsibility for defining them. The targets are to be met through biomethane participation in natural-gas consumption.
By the numbers
The Mines and Energy Ministry estimates that the proposed 2027 target would correspond to 363.2 million cubic metres of biomethane per year, or about 995,200 cubic metres per day.
The proposal also associates that volume with 3,632,492 CGOB certificates. The consultation materials use the certificates as part of the proposed framework for meeting the target.
- 2027 proposed target: 1% greenhouse-gas reduction in the natural-gas market.
- Estimated biomethane volume: 363.2 million cubic metres annually.
- Estimated daily volume: about 995,200 cubic metres.
- Indicative targets: 3% for 2028, 4% for 2029 and 5% for 2030.
- Consultation window: October 6 to November 6, 2026.
Why it matters
The proposal would establish an annual benchmark for incorporating biomethane into Brazil’s natural-gas market, linking consumption of the renewable gas to a greenhouse-gas reduction objective.
But the figures currently under consultation should not be treated as an adopted regulatory requirement or as evidence of emissions reductions already achieved. The 1% target is a ministry proposal for 2027, while the 2028-2030 figures are expressly indicative in the consultation materials.
The distinction is also important for describing the policy’s scope. The target covers greenhouse-gas emissions in the natural-gas market and is designed to be met through biomethane participation. The available materials do not establish a standalone methane-reduction target.
The bigger picture
Law 14,993/2024 created the statutory basis for this target-setting process. Its structure places the annual target decision with the CNPE, rather than making the opening of a ministry consultation the final regulatory act.
The consultation therefore marks an operational step in the implementation of the law’s framework. It offers the public a defined period to consider the proposed 2027 target and the indicative pathway through 2030 before annual targets are set.
What happens next
The public consultation is scheduled to close on November 6, 2026. The fact package does not specify a date for a CNPE decision or the final level of any annual target.
For now, Brazil has opened discussion on a proposed 2027 benchmark, not imposed a final obligation. Whether the 1% target, its estimated biomethane volume or the longer-term indicative percentages are retained will depend on the subsequent target-setting process under Law 14,993/2024.