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Petrobras Analyzes Maintenance Proposals for Fertilizer Plants in Bahia and Sergipe After Impasse with Unigel. Resumption Scheduled for November.
The Petrobras has begun the analysis phase of proposals for the maintenance of its fertilizer plants located in Bahia and Sergipe. This measure comes after the resolution of a long contractual impasse with Unigel, which had leased the units during the previous administration.
The state-owned company expects to resume operations in November 2025, as part of its strategy to re-enter the fertilizer sector.
The bidding process received at least six proposals, with values exceeding R$ 999 million. The lowest was submitted by Leap Technologies Maintenance, in the amount of R$ 830 million, according to public bidding data.
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Bahia Returns to Focus with Reactivation of Urea and Ammonia Plants
The Bahia unit, located in the Camaçari Petrochemical Pole, is part of the service package included in the bidding.
The contract provides for operation and maintenance activities at the ammonia, urea, and Arla-32 plants, as well as the ammonia and urea port facilities at the Port of Aratu.
In Sergipe, the factory includes the same production lines, with emphasis on granulated urea.
Together, the two plants have the capacity to produce 1.6 million tons of urea per year, an essential input in Brazilian agriculture.
Relationship with Unigel and Past Challenges
The Nitrogen Fertilizer Plants (Fafens) were leased to Unigel during the Bolsonaro administration, when Petrobras opted to exit the sector.
However, the operation was halted about two years later, after Unigel entered a judicial recovery process, only concluded in January 2025.
Even after attempting to resume operations with a contract model for order-based industrialization — where Petrobras would supply natural gas and receive the produced fertilizers — the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) found inconsistencies and pointed out governance failures, which rendered the agreement unfeasible.
Petrobras Aims to Consolidate Its Return to the Fertilizer Sector
In May of this year, Petrobras and Unigel finally signed an agreement to settle all disputes involving the leasing of the plants.
As a result, the state-owned company green-lighted the resumption process, reinforcing its commitment to national fertilizer production.
The reactivation of Fafens is viewed as strategic to reduce Brazil’s dependence on the import of these products, especially during times of global instability.
Additionally, this action aligns with Petrobras’s policy to strengthen industrial sectors with the potential to revive the economy and generate local jobs, particularly in Bahia.
New Phase Marks Resumption of National Production with Petrobras Gas
With the new maintenance contract, Petrobras intends to directly operate the units, supplying natural gas as raw material and ensuring the quality of the final input.
The choice of the new service provider is expected to occur in the coming weeks, which will allow for progress in the reactivation schedule of the plants.
The company thus reaffirms its strategic role in the fertilizer production chain, emphasizing sustainability, job creation, and energy security.
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