Spotlight: Brazil’s refining projects

Brazil has several refining projects underway, being carried out both by private companies and Petrobras. 

Noxis Energy plans to install refineries in Ceará, Sergipe and Bahia states, each with capacity to produce approximately 100,000b/d of oil derivatives, mostly marine fuels. 

The first of the three modular plants was granted authorization by local oil and gas watchdog ANP last December for construction in the Pecém port and industrial complex in Ceará state. 

The projects depend on infrastructure enhancements at the ports of Pecém, Barra dos Coqueiros (Sergipe) and Bamin (Bahia), which cannot currently receive Suezmax vessels. 

Each refinery is expected to require an investment of between US$1.3bn and US$1.5bn. 

“Brazil is currently one of the best places in the world to invest in refining because it has oil production and fuel demand,” Noxis CEO Gabriel Debellian told BNamericas. 

He highlighted that, in the future, the company could add green and blue methanol production, and carbon capture capacity to the plants.

“At the end of the day, these will be energy production installations already prepared for the energy transition,” Debellian said. 

Acelen, part of the Mubadala group, recently announced a 12bn-real (US$2.4bn), 10-year investment plan to produce 1bn liters per year of renewable fuels. 

The main focus will be on renewable diesel and sustainable aviation kerosene, produced through the hydrotreatment of vegetable oils and animal fat.

The company, which is the owner of the Mataripe refinery in Bahia state, expects to start production in the first quarter of 2026.

The plant was bought in 2021 from Petrobras, which accounts for about 80% of total national processing capacity of 2.46Mb/d (including the Lubnor plant, whose sale to Grepar Participações is being analysed by the local antitrust authority Cade). 

The state-run firm plans to invest US$7.3bn in the refining sector by 2027, comprising expansion and/or modernization projects at the Abreu e Lima (Rnest), Paulínia (Replan), Duque de Caxias (Reduc), Henrique Lage (Revap) and Presidente Bernardes (RPBC) plants. 

Its current business plan foresees an investment of 600mn reais in a biorefining program focused on the development of more modern and sustainable fuels at the RPBC, Presidente Getúlio Vargas (Repar), Reduc and Replan refineries.  

Petrobras also plans to install a 12,580b/d lubricant refinery in the Gaslub hub in Rio de Janeiro state, with technology provided by Chevron Lummus Global. 

Meanwhile, it is studying adjustments for co-processing of renewable diesel at the Gabriel Passos (Regap) and RNEST refineries, the company said on Monday. 

New plants dedicated to the production of R100 Diesel, with 100% sustainable raw materials, will also be assessed at Rnest and at Gaslub, which may have their scope expanded to produce second-generation petrochemical products, Petrobras added. 

Oil Group Investments also has plans to build four modular refineries with capacity to process of up to 20,000b/d in the southeast and northeast regions and two mini-refineries (capacity of up to 5,000b/d) in the center-west and northeast regions. 

In 2020, the company signed agreements with Porto do Açu and Energy Platform (EnP) to install plants in the Açu Port complex in Rio de Janeiro state, and the Porto Central port project in Espírito Santo state.  

In Açu, the idea is to build a modular plant focused on the production of light products, with an investment of US$300mn. 

The Porto Central undertakings include a 30,000b/d plant able to produce gasoline, diesel bunker and fuel oil and a plant capable of making 1,000b/d of lubricants and 500t/d of asphalt. 

BNamericas contacted Oil Group Investments to find out more about the current situation of the projects, but the company did not immediately respond. 

Atem Distribuidora, which purchased the Manaus refinery in Amazonas state from Petrobras, declined to comment on its investment plans.