The completion of the purchase of Petrobrás Nitrogen Fertilizer Unit 3 (UFN3), located in the municipality of Três Lagoas, by the Russian company Acron opens up new prospects for investment and economic diversification for Mato Grosso do Sul.

Meetings held this Thursday, July 18, in Campo Grande finalized details for the sale of UFN-3 (Petrobras Nitrogen Fertilizer Unit) to the Russian group Acron. The contract, in the order of BRL 8,2 billion, should be signed in August, with the expectation that the unit will have its construction completed and start operating by 2024.

Representatives of Acron and Petrobras – owner of the factory located in Três Lagoas, 338 kilometers from the capital – met behind closed doors with members of the state government and with each other to discuss points such as the transfer of tax incentives from the Brazilian state-owned company to the conglomerate from Russia, allowing tax exemption on the sale of the structure and machines.

"The Russian delegation met with the government teams throughout the day to present the schedule of how the negotiation will be, the resumption of investments, the volume of resources contributed", said, via advisory, Governor Reinaldo Azambuja (PSDB). “They (Acron) asked for the tax incentive because it was granted to Petrobras, so we would have to transfer this incentive to the purchasing company”, he continued.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Economic Development, Production and Family Agriculture, Jaime Verruck, said that the incentives include exemption from ICMS (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services) for importing equipment for the works at the factory, at a rate of 10 %, and in the sale of urea produced by the plant to other states, of 75%. “What the government wants is for Petrobras and Acron to close the deal”, he pointed out.

The Secretary of State for Finance, Felipe Mattos, highlighted that, with the exemptions, a new market will be made possible, diversifying the economic matrix, “with the sale of a new input that today comes from outside the State or imported from other countries, for one of the economic activities in Mato Grosso do Sul which is agribusiness”.

The work on UFN-3 was paralyzed in December 2014, with 83% of the project completed, when Petrobras terminated the contract with the consortium responsible for the work on the grounds of non-compliance with clauses. The factory ended up included in the restructuring and recapitalization plan of the state-owned company, being considered an asset that can be negotiated.

The approval for the sale took place in June, after the STF (Federal Supreme Court) authorized the negotiation of subsidiaries of public companies or mixed-capital companies without congressional authorization or bidding. Negotiations with Acron have been dragging on since last year, awaiting judicial clearance to move forward.

The UFN-3 was projected to support the production of 70 thousand tons of ammonia and 1,22 thousand tons of granulated urea per year. It is estimated that the plant alone will generate 10 direct jobs and another 1 indirect jobs. Acron expects to invest US$ 5 billion in the purchase of the factory and another R$ 2024 billion for its completion, with the resumption of works in the first half of next year and the start of operations by XNUMX for the production of multi-nutrient and chemical fertilizers.

Last week, the presidents of Bolivia, Evo Morales, and Russia, Vladimir Puttin, closed an agreement aimed at supplying 2,2 million cubic meters of natural gas per day –to be transported through Mato Grosso do Sul– to the unit from Acron as of 2023. The fuel will be extracted by YPFB (Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos), a state company in the sector in the neighboring country, which will also have 12% of the Três Lagoas factory, in a share that could reach 30%.

Sale of Petrobras' UFN3 to a Russian company will generate 10 jobs in Mato Grosso do Sul