By Lucas Morias, SeeNews Renewables.

April 15 - Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state government announced on Thursday it intends to launch a biomethane incentives programme during the first half of 2016.

The goal of the programme is to meet demand in regions that are not currently served by the Brazil-Bolivia natural gas pipeline. Also, it will diversify the state energy mix and provide an extra source of income for the agribusiness, the government said.

The programme envisages setting up special credit lines for projects of this type with Brazil's Far South Regional Development Bank (BRDE) and development agency Badesul, as well as the creation of public-private partnerships to develop the biomethane chain.