In March 2007 the United States and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), known as the U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Partnership Initiative, to promote scientific cooperation, development and use of biofuels, including third country production for domestic consumption as well as international harmonization of standards. This MOU, which is a collaborative effort with Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the United Nations Foundation, named the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, and St Kitts and Nevis as initial target countries to benefit from U.S.-Brazil biofuels cooperation.
Hart Energy Consulting and Energy and Security Group (ESG) joined forces to work on this contract, granted by the OAS with funds provided by the U.S. State Department, as part of the cooperative initiative between the United States and Brazil to promote biofuels in the Caribbean region. The companies have received a US$ 300,000 contract to provide technical assistance to help the Dominican Republic begin blending ethanol in domestically sold gasoline. Although the consultants will analyze the possibility of different blends, ranging from 2 to 85 percent ethanol, Law 57-07, the renewable energy law, calls for a 10 percent blend by 2009 and 15 percent by 2010.
