Petrobras puts R$ 5 billion on the table to bring to life a colossal factory that has been idle for almost 10 years to end dependence on international fertilizers.

Written by Alisson Ficher

Published on 14/04/2026 at 15:32

Seja o primeiro a reagir!

Billion-dollar investment puts strategic project back on the radar and attempts to reduce external dependence on fertilizers, with a direct impact on Brazilian agribusiness and on the use of natural gas by the state-owned company, after more than a decade of paralysis and uncertainties.

Petrobras approved on April 13, 2026 the resumption of construction of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Unit III, in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul, with an estimated investment of around US$ 1 billion and a forecast for the start of commercial operations in 2029.

The decision puts back in motion a project that had been interrupted for more than a decade and reinforces the state-owned company’s strategy to expand its presence in the fertilizer market.

Paused since 2015, the plant was re-evaluated starting in 2023, when the company decided to resume investments in the segment, considered strategic for national supply.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Resumption of UFN-III after more than a decade halted

UFN-III began construction in 2011, during a period when Petrobras maintained an expansion policy in various industrial segments.

The interruption occurred in 2015, when the unit was at an advanced stage of implementation, and since then the asset has gone through years of uncertainty, attempts at sale, and revisions regarding its viability.

In February 2022, the state-owned company announced progress in the sale process of the factory to the Russian group Acron.

However, the transaction did not proceed, and in April of that year, Petrobras communicated that it would abandon the deal, claiming that the proposed plan made the necessary government approvals for the continuation of the operation unfeasible.

By recovering the project, the company is putting back into planned operation an asset that had been hibernated and, at the same time, is trying to address a recurring problem in Brazilian agribusiness: the strong external dependence on fertilizers.

Data released by the federal government shows that the country imported 45.5 million tons of fertilizers in 2025, a record in the historical series, which helps explain the strategic weight attributed to domestic production.

Production capacity and focus on agriculture

When completed, the unit will have a nominal capacity to produce about 3,600 tons per day of urea and 2,200 tons per day of ammonia.

Of this total, approximately 180 tons per day of ammonia will be available for commercialization, according to Petrobras, increasing the national supply of inputs related to the nitrogen fertilizer chain.

Production will be primarily directed to states such as Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Paraná, and São Paulo, regions with strong demand from the agriculture sector.

The location of the factory, close to significant consumer markets in the Midwest, South, and Southeast, is considered by the company as one of the factors that supported the investment approval, due to logistical advantages and supply potential.

Petrobras also argues that the resumption of the unit reinforces the utilization of natural gas and increases integration with production chains linked to agriculture.

In a statement published by the state-owned company, the director of Industrial Processes, William França, stated that the return of investments in the segment helps reduce the country’s dependence on fertilizer imports and strengthens the company’s connection with the agriculture sector.

Timeline, jobs, and regional impact

In addition to the industrial impact, Petrobras estimates the generation of around 8,000 jobs during the construction phase, which is expected to boost the economy of Três Lagoas and the region.

The official forecast is that the physical resumption of the construction site will occur in the first half of 2026, following the contractual formalization that follows the board’s approval.

The new schedule represents a change from previous projections.

In a corporate document released in early 2025, the company was still working with the completion of UFN-III in 2028; however, in the announcement made in April 2026, the schedule indicated the start of commercial operations in 2029, reflecting the project’s update after a new round of internal evaluations.

The resumption of the factory in Mato Grosso do Sul occurs at a time when Petrobras is trying to reorganize its operations in fertilizers after years of contraction.

In the current plan, the state-owned company maintains the completion of UFN-III as the central axis of the area, while directing other assets in the segment towards operational continuity, in an agenda that seeks to increase local production without advancing beyond what has already been officially approved.

0 Comentários

Mais recente

Mais antigos Mais votado

Feedbacks

Visualizar todos comentários

Petrobras puts R$ 5 billion on the table to bring to life a colossal factory that has been idle for almost 10 years to end dependence on international fertilizers.

Billion-dollar investment puts strategic project back on the radar and attempts to reduce external dependence on fertilizers, with a direct impact on Brazilian agribusiness and on the use of natural gas by the state-owned company, after more than a decade of paralysis and uncertainties.

Resumption of UFN-III after more than a decade halted

Production capacity and focus on agriculture

Timeline, jobs, and regional impact

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

Bavarian archaeologists unearthed a medieval skeleton that had an articulated iron hand in place of its left arm, and the discovery reveals that doctors were already creating sophisticated prosthetics over 500 years ago.

For the first time, scientists have mapped the Etna magma system in almost real time and discovered where the volcano was storing large volumes of molten material before years of eruptions, revealing an underground reservoir that fills and reorganizes like a living organism beneath the mountain.

Cell phones in schools: learn how a year after the ban, students and teachers are already noticing positive effects and recording improvements in academic performance with increased attention and active participation.

The end of telemarketing may be closer than it seems, as an artificial intelligence already replaces up to 50 human attendants, costs about five cents per call, and operates without breaks.

With over 7,000 accommodations and record expansion, the First World Hotel in Malaysia establishes itself as the largest hotel in the world in operation.

In the middle of the California desert, the daughter of a former Formula 1 driver built a mansion worth R$ 74.8 million with 160 acres, four structures, glass everywhere, and panoramic views in all rooms.

A cheap nutrient that already exists in carrots and spinach has been found to strengthen cancer-fighting cells and enhance the effect of immunotherapy, and it has been in your refrigerator all this time.

Stronger than any pepper: Nigerian plant has a toxin that registers 16 billion units on the heat scale.

Petrobras puts R$ 5 billion on the table to bring to life a colossal factory that has been idle for almost 10 years to end dependence on international fertilizers.

Billion-dollar investment puts strategic project back on the radar and attempts to reduce external dependence on fertilizers, with a direct impact on Brazilian agribusiness and on the use of natural gas by the state-owned company, after more than a decade of paralysis and uncertainties.

Resumption of UFN-III after more than a decade halted

Production capacity and focus on agriculture

Timeline, jobs, and regional impact

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

Bavarian archaeologists unearthed a medieval skeleton that had an articulated iron hand in place of its left arm, and the discovery reveals that doctors were already creating sophisticated prosthetics over 500 years ago.

For the first time, scientists have mapped the Etna magma system in almost real time and discovered where the volcano was storing large volumes of molten material before years of eruptions, revealing an underground reservoir that fills and reorganizes like a living organism beneath the mountain.

Cell phones in schools: learn how a year after the ban, students and teachers are already noticing positive effects and recording improvements in academic performance with increased attention and active participation.

The BYD case on the dirty list evolves rapidly, secretary is dismissed after contested inclusion, court suspends registration, and tension with tax auditors intensifies behind the scenes.

Brazil and Indonesia are making progress on a proposal that could connect the two countries through tourism, open new travel routes, and create the impression that visiting this new axis could become easier.

Those who receive Bolsa Família can accept a formal job without losing the benefit, thanks to a rule that guarantees half of the benefit for up to 12 months while the worker stabilizes.

The end of telemarketing may be closer than it seems, as an artificial intelligence already replaces up to 50 human attendants, costs about five cents per call, and operates without breaks.

With over 7,000 accommodations and record expansion, the First World Hotel in Malaysia establishes itself as the largest hotel in the world in operation.

In the middle of the California desert, the daughter of a former Formula 1 driver built a mansion worth R$ 74.8 million with 160 acres, four structures, glass everywhere, and panoramic views in all rooms.

A cheap nutrient that already exists in carrots and spinach has been found to strengthen cancer-fighting cells and enhance the effect of immunotherapy, and it has been in your refrigerator all this time.

Stronger than any pepper: Nigerian plant has a toxin that registers 16 billion units on the heat scale.