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Petrobras Refinery in Fortaleza, Even with Valid License, May Be Required to Cease Operations in 2027 Due to Urban Planning Law, Amid Billion-Dollar Plans to Make It a Pioneer in Carbon Neutrality in Brazil.
With valid operational license until March 16, 2029, Petrobras faces the risk of closing the Lubnor facility in Fortaleza due to Complementary Law 236/2017.
According to information published by Folha de S. Paulo, Article 77 of the law classifies oil refining activities in the Coastal Zone as “harmful or dangerous industries” and imposes a 10-year deadline for the continuation of existing enterprises from the publication of the law, which pushes the deadline to August 2027.
After this period, the text prohibits the continuation of operations along the coast. The state company is attempting to reverse this classification during the review of Fortaleza’s Master Plan.
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The City Hall acknowledges the economic relevance of the unit and states that the proposal is under discussion in public hearings, with a forecast for submission to the City Council by the end of 2025.
According to the municipal administration, the current phase is one of social participation before forwarding the text to the Legislature.
What Does Fortaleza’s Urban Law Say?
The 2017 legislation establishes that harmful or dangerous industries in urban areas cannot be established in the municipality.
For those that were already operating in the Stretch VI of the Coastal Zone, permanence is permitted through a Neighborhood Impact Study (EIV), but only for 10 years after the publication. This provision impacts Lubnor, located in the Mucuripe area.
Review of the Master Plan and Political Articulation
The discussion is taking place in a special committee of the Chamber. The committee, chaired by councilor Benigno Júnior (Republicans), has received representatives from Petrobras and technical bodies to find a solution that reconciles urban rules with existing industrial activity.
In June 2025, the committee heard Lubnor about alternatives to maintain operations in Mucuripe.
At that time, the company proposed a reclassification of the enterprise in the Master Plan — from “harmful” to “inconvenient to the urban environment” — in order to align it with the activities actually performed on site, emphasizing asphalt and lubricants.
Active Environmental License and Promise of Decarbonization
Although subject to the urban rule, the refinery is regularly licensed by Semace: the operational license was issued in March 2025 and is valid until March 16, 2029. This information was publicly confirmed by the Government of Ceará.
In a statement, Petrobras claims to operate “with the most rigorous international safety standards” and that Lubnor “is up to date with its licenses.”
Simultaneously, the company announced a plan to invest R$ 1.5 billion in four years and transform the unit into the first “zero-carbon” refinery in the country.
The project is part of the company’s energy transition program and includes the replacement of natural gas with biomethane, along with other actions to neutralize absolute emissions.
In April 2024, Petrobras had already informed that it would start specific decarbonization studies for Lubnor.
Sensitive Location and Urban Pressure
Lubnor occupies a 218,000 m² area in Mucuripe, an area that is now densely urbanized, surrounded by neighborhoods such as Cais do Porto, Serviluz, Mucuripe, Vicente Pinzón, and Praia do Futuro.
In Master Plan meetings, municipal technicians pointed out the refinery as an obstacle to mobility and the regulation of the coastline.
“It is a waste of the collective aspect of the city. The location is inappropriate […],” said Parente from Ipplan, advocating for the requalification of that section.
Economic Effects at Stake
Petrobras has highlighted the fiscal relevance and the network of jobs linked to the complex.
In recent communications with the Legislature, the state company cited annual ICMS contribution in Ceará and argued that Lubnor is one of the largest individual revenue generators.
These numbers, however, derive from statements made by the company itself and labor organizations; there is no public detailing from Sefaz-CE by contributor.
Company representatives also reported in a hearing that the compulsory exit from Mucuripe could make operations in the State unviable.
This assessment was expressed during discussions in the Chamber and is still under political and technical analysis.
Migration of Tanking Operations to Pecém
As the impasse progresses, the Government of Ceará launched, in February 2025, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new fuel tanking park at Porto do Pecém.
The project, with an initial capacity of 130,000 m³ and investment of R$ 430 million (partly financed by BNB), is expected to be operational by August 2027 and was designed specifically to transfer the existing tanking operations around Porto do Mucuripe.
This change is likely to impact distributors operating in the area, such as Ipiranga and SP, which have a base in Mucuripe.
Local Supports and Counterpoints
In the academic sphere, UFC and Uece are involved in agendas with Petrobras and Lubnor focused on carbon-neutral projects and territorial development around the refinery, expressing support for the plant’s permanence in Ceará.
Community leaders also express concern over the social impact of a possible closure.
Planning bodies insist that the coastal vocation should prioritize uses compatible with mobility, tourism, and housing.
What Petrobras Is Asking to Stay in Mucuripe
The main solution advocated by the state is the classification of Lubnor as an “inconvenient industry”, a category that allows permanence conditional on studies such as the EIV, instead of the ban applied to “harmful” industries.
The justification is that the unit does not produce light fuels and focuses on asphalt and lubricants, in addition to committing to renewable energy and socioeconomic actions in the neighborhood. This request will be evaluated in the review of the Master Plan.
In a scenario where urban legislation imposes objective deadlines and the company maintains an active license and climate neutrality goals, what should be the decisive criterion: the rule for reorganizing the coastline or local verifiable commitments for decarbonization and mitigation?
Os loobies da construção civil já aponta os olhos pra aquela região. É tudo especulação imobiliaria com nome de “reordenamento urbano” Na terra do humor isso até parece legal. Só parece, mas a verdade é prejuizo pra todos;
Empregos, impostos( Icms,ipi, confins,etc.), num momento que o Trumpismo esfola a economia Cearense.
Seria uma temeridade o estado permitir esse suicidio econômico da PMF. Isso com certeza vai terminar judicializado.
Os inimigos da inteligência e do bom censo estão sempre de plantão.
Cuidado, não faça parte dessa turma.
E se fizer seja honesto. Quero o fim dessa Lubnor pra num futuro próximo auferir algum lucro pessoal.
A sociedade que se dane!….
Uns querem tirar a LUBNOR da região em nome de um suposto “reordenamento urbano”. Não seria exagero concluir que esse tal reordenamento vai beneficiar apenas a classe média alta da cidade, com torres e torres de apartamentos, inacessíveis å população. Enquanto isso, muitos trabalhadores vão perder seu sustento. Ainda que obras de construção civil empreguem muitos, é um ciclo de curto a médio prazo. Já a Refinaria é de prazo longo, de vagas de trabalho que pagam melhor, que estimulam qualificação constante. Quem matar a galinha dos ovos de ouro na busca de mais lucro!
A Petrobras deveria retirar todas as empresas do Ceará já que eles estão querendo,nesse caso é só procurar outro estado que será muito bem vindo!
Vem pra Bahia ,esse vereador deve ser do PL só quer o mal do próprio povo.
Lá vem o **** seu welington falar mal da direita, o teu presidente Lules e seu desgoverno só faz o brasil retroceder e nada vai bem. Abre os olhos seu ****.