With the works at a standstill since 2022, Itaboraí will now hire manpower to complete the project under the command of Petrobras

Over the weekend, Petrobras announced that Toyo Setal would be the company responsible for completing the renovations at the Polo Gaslub at the Natural Gas Processing Unit (UPGN) in Itaboraí, formerly called Comperj. Both companies signed the agreement between them.

The termination of the Kerui-Método consortium contract in June 2022 effectively froze construction on the project. But Lula said he would resume the works if he was re-elected in 2022..

Petrobras is fighting against time to keep the UPGN project on track now that a new company is overseeing its construction. According to the company's 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, the plant's start-up is scheduled for 2024.

The additional units needed to start these operations, including auxiliary units at Polo GasLub, subsea and onshore pipelines, are in the final commissioning phase or pre-operation phase of their respective projects.

Controversy involving the joint venture and Petrobras

To refresh your memory, a joint venture between the Chinese Kerui and the Brazilian Metodo was responsible for building the Gaslub UPGN. But Petrobras terminated the contract with Kerui-Método in July last year.

The consortium had already laid off 2.000 workers from the work before this postponement. A dispute between the consortium and Petrobras over the price of the works is at the heart of the current confusion at the UPGN at Polo Gaslub.

The Chinese planned to spend around BRL 2 billion on the UPGN, but due to fluctuations in the value of the renminbi, the effects of the epidemic and other factors, the final cost ended up being more than BRL 3 billion.

When fully operational, the UPGN at Polo Gaslub will have the largest processing capacity in the country, with up to 21 million m3 per day. With the completion of this work, the Petrobras may increase pre-salt gas volume which leaves its facilities from 23 million to 44 million m3 per day. The gas would have multiple applications, including power generation, transportation and manufacturing.