In 2026, the state of Rio de Janeiro is consolidating its position as one of the country’s energy powerhouses and could become the centre of a reindustrialisation strategy based on high-value-added chemicals and fertilizers for food production in Brazil. With an investment pipeline projected to exceed R$ 25 billion by 2030, the state’s industry is advancing across the oil, gas, energy and shipbuilding sectors.

The goal is to ensure that more value is added to oil and natural gas in the state. This transformation has become more urgent amid a volatile international geopolitical landscape, marked by logistical disruptions and pressure on global supply chains.

These assessments are included in Petrochemicals and Fertilizers in Rio de Janeiro 2026, a publication produced by the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan), which will be launched on Wednesday (November 4). “We enter 2026 with a very clear message: Rio de Janeiro is increasingly well positioned, with port infrastructure, abundant energy, available feedstocks, technological capabilities, a skilled workforce and a market that can support new investment in the petrochemical and fertilizer industries,” says Luiz Césio Caetano, president of Firjan.

According to Caetano, the challenge now is to turn this potential into production, jobs and income. “Oil and natural gas are fundamental resources for our state. But their value to society truly multiplies only when these raw materials move along the value chain and reach the chemical industry, plastics, specialty materials and fertilizers,” he adds.

Integrated petrochemicals

Now in its fifth edition, the study states that the full operation of the infrastructure developed under the Rota 3 Project and at the Boaventura Energy Complex in Itaboraí has increased the availability of feedstocks in the state. With natural gas processing capacity boosted by the complex’s two gas processing unit (UPGN) modules, Rio de Janeiro now has a robust supply of natural gas to support the petrochemical and fertilizer industries.

The established Duque de Caxias Petrochemical Complex also plays a key role. The complex is seeing significant investment in modernisation. One notable project is Braskem’s Transforma Rio, which involves an investment of approximately R$ 4.3 billion to build a new ethane cracker and increase polyethylene production by approximately 230,000 tonnes per year.

Starting in 2028, the Raia Project, led by Equinor, could also add 16 million m³/d of natural gas to the Brazilian market, creating new opportunities for the petrochemical and fertilizer industries.

Fertilizers and food sovereignty

With contributions from public- and private-sector partners, the study highlights the state’s growing institutional and technological role. In addition to hosting CEFENP — the Centre of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition — Rio de Janeiro will also have a technology scale-up hub.

“There are also new industrial complexes planned for the North Fluminense region, with projects in Macaé and at the Port of Açu, in São João da Barra. They aim to establish large-scale nitrogen fertilizer production facilities, leveraging their proximity to pre-salt gas pipelines to produce ammonia and urea,” says Karine Fragoso (pictured), Firjan’s General Manager for Oil, Gas, Energy and Shipbuilding.

The year 2026 put the production chain to a severe test, with global shortages and soaring sulfur prices. Sulfur is a key feedstock for the production of sulfuric acid. The crisis highlighted that agricultural sovereignty depends not only on nitrogen (N), potassium (P) and phosphorus (K), but on the entire chain of intermediate inputs.

“The major challenge for the next decade is no longer resource discovery, but the coordinated implementation of policies that ensure competitive natural gas prices, legal certainty and regulatory predictability. By turning its geological wealth into industrial value, Rio de Janeiro is leading Brazil’s return to productive sovereignty, creating jobs and income,” says Karine.

This fifth edition includes contributions from Firjan SENAI SESI, as well as Petrobras, Braskem, Nitriflex, SIQUIRJ, ABIPLAST, ASSECAMPE, Veirano Advogados, PSR Energy and the Firjan Caxias and Region Business Council, which provided analysis on petrochemicals. The fertilizer chapter features articles by MDIC, SEDES-RJ, Mottanai Brasil, UFRRJ and SINPRIFERT.