Petrobras reports that, according to the decision of its Board of Directors disclosed to the market on 29/06/2023, and in alignment with the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, it has started the contracting process for the resumption of Train 2 of the New Abreu e Lima Refinery - RNEST, whose construction was interrupted in 2015.

The Refinery is located in Ipojuca, Pernambuco, at the Suape Industrial Port Complex, 45 km away from Recife. Train 1 has been in operation since December 2014. The bidding process was published on the Petronect portal this Friday (04/08).

For the decision to approve the resumption, the project underwent a rigorous process evaluating its technical and economic feasibility, following strict project governance standards associated with the best international practices. It is important to highlight that this project was already planned in the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan and, therefore, has financial investment resources allocated as per the plan.

For Jean Paul Prates, Petrobras' President, this announcement is of great importance due to various factors:

"When the RNEST project is completed, Brazil will have an increase in low-sulfur diesel production (diesel S10) of more than 100 thousand barrels per day (about 16 million liters per day), reducing the demand for imports. Furthermore, if we consider all the planned projects for the improvement and enhancement of the industrial park and the supply and logistics chain in the coming years, we estimate a 40% increase in diesel production," emphasizes Prates.

The start of operations for Train 2 of RNEST is scheduled for 2027, and with this implementation, Petrobras will contribute to expanding the national refining capacity, enabling the increase in the production of derivatives such as gasoline, LPG, naphtha, but mainly low-sulfur diesel (diesel S10), meeting market demands and reducing the need for imports.

Train 2 of RNEST will add approximately 13 million liters of diesel S10 per day to the national production capacity, and when completed, the refinery will have the capacity to process 260 thousand barrels of oil per day. In addition to its contribution to national production, it is estimated that around 30 thousand direct and indirect jobs will be generated to support these works.

According to Carlos Travassos, Petrobras' Director of Engineering, Technology, and Innovation, 'the company is committed to modernizing its operations, always taking into account economic viability and meeting the demands of the Brazilian market and society. This resumption of works at RNEST only reinforces our strategy