en.Wedoany.com Reported - Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras plans to restart construction of a fertilizer plant in Mato Grosso do Sul by September. William Franca, Director of Industrial Processes and Products, stated this Thursday that this is part of a strategy to reduce Brazil's dependence on fertilizer imports.

The UFN-III nitrogen fertilizer plant in Tres Lagoas has been idle since 2015, with an estimated project investment of $1 billion. Franca revealed that the company aims to achieve full operation of the plant by 2029.

The fertilizer plant is designed with a daily production capacity of 3,600 tons of urea and 2,200 tons of ammonia. Tres Lagoas holds a strategic geographical advantage, adjacent to major agricultural consumer regions such as Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Resuming this project is part of Petrobras' broader plan to reduce Brazil's reliance on fertilizer imports. The company has simultaneously restarted nitrogen fertilizer production units in Paraná and Bahia.

Franca stated that once operational, the plant could reduce Brazil's urea imports by 12%, and if operated in conjunction with other plants, this reduction could increase to 35%.

Following a temporary agreement between the United States and Iran to end the "war," pressure on Petrobras' refining operations may ease. These refineries had been operating at high capacity to minimize fuel imports. Franca noted that the current refinery utilization rate is 101%, a level expected to continue through June. During World War II, the company reduced the need for imported fuel by increasing processing volumes.

Without disclosing specific details, Franca indicated that under "more stable conditions," the company plans to resume previously postponed routine maintenance shutdowns. He said, "It is impossible to maintain 100% capacity all the time. Due to the war, we postponed some shutdowns. However, for regulatory requirements, we will also carry out planned outages in 2027."

This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com