(PN) Petrobras’ refineries operated at 95% of their total operating capacity in May. This is the company’s best monthly result since July 2015. On some days, in the second half of the month, the level even exceeded 99%. The historic result was achieved even with scheduled maintenance stoppages at RPBC (Cubatão, SP), Refap (Canoas, RS), Reduc (Duque de Caxias, RJ) and Replan (Paulínia, SP).
The total refining utilization factor considers the oil load volume effectively processed and the refineries’ reference load, that is, their operational capacity, respecting the equipment design limits, safety, environment and quality requirements derivatives produced, in addition to the economic rationality of production decisions.
“We are working to further improve our derivatives, modernize the refineries and reduce the environmental impact of operations, with maximum safety. We also made progress in seeking to decarbonize our processes, generating higher quality and more sustainable products”, commented the director of Industrial Processes and Products at Petrobras, William França.
In 2023, Petrobras has already made relevant investments in its refining park. At RPBC, the company invested R$ 720 million for seven refinery operating units, with services that included the modernization of equipment. At Refap, the company invested R$450 million in the biggest scheduled stoppage in the unit’s history.
Meanwhile, the company signed, in April, a contract for the expansion and modernization of units already in operation at the Abreu e Lima Refinery (RNEST), in Pernambuco. Upon completion of the works, expected for the fourth quarter of 2024, the refinery will increase the total processing capacity of Train 1, from the current 115,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) to 130,000 bpd. Finally, Petrobras recently announced an investment of BRL 45 million in Refinaria de Petróleo Riograndense (Rio Grande, RS), preparing the unit to be the first biorefinery in Brazil to process 100% renewable raw material.
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