SAO PAULO, June 21 (Reuters) - BP Plc will

evaluate expanding and diversifying its biofuel operation in

Brazil, looking at new products such as second-generation

ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel after buying out Bunge

from their joint venture BP Bunge Bioenergia.

The company said in written comments to Reuters that it

wants to use the venture's massive biofuel base in Brazil - an

industrial complex with 11 plants in five states processing

sugarcane - to develop key projects to support the broader BP

view for bioenergy.

The Brazil complex "is a scalable bioenergy platform with

cost advantages," it said. "We will seek to explore new growth

opportunities in the region and develop new bioenergy platforms,

such as next-generation ethanol, SAF, e-fuels and biogas," BP

added, using an acronym for sustainable aviation fuel.

The strategy of the British oil major follows Shell

, which partnered with Brazilian sugar and ethanol giant

Cosan ( CSAN ) years ago to form Raizen SA, which

is developing the world's largest cellulosic ethanol program, a

second-generation ethanol.

"Good biofuels - those that actually help achieving

emissions savings - are still seen as having an important role

to play," said biofuels expert Soren Jansen, a former executive

at Brazil's Copersucar.

"The whole alcohol-to-jetfuel supply chain is very expensive

to build up, and the deep pockets from the oil companies is

accelerating the process with an initial geographic spread over

Brazil, the U.S., Europe and Japan," he said.

Raizen opened its second 2G ethanol plant in May. The fuel,

made from biomass residues from processed sugarcane, has 80%

less carbon than gasoline.

BP's plans for its complex in Brazil go in the opposite way

from most companies processing sugarcane in the country. Those

have increased their capacity to make sugar, instead of ethanol,

due to higher international prices for the sweetener.