The largest fuel distributor in Brazil has just been forced to import diesel and gasoline on its own after Petrobras reduced its monthly deliveries.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 11/04/2026 at 21:56

Be the first to react!

Vibra Energia, the largest fuel distributor in Brazil, doubled diesel imports for April 2026 after Petrobras reduced its monthly supply quota, with imported diesel costing R$ 2.50 more per liter, a government subsidy of R$ 4 billion, and the unions of Vibra, Raízen, and Ipiranga requesting the resumption of state auctions.

Vibra Energia, the largest fuel distributor in Brazil, was forced to double its diesel import volume for April 2026. Therefore, the decision came after Petrobras reduced its monthly supply quota.

The CEO of Vibra, Ernesto Pousada, confirmed the measure in an interview with CNN Brasil on April 10, 2026. Thus, he assured that ships with imported diesel are already on their way to Brazil.

“I can assure this consumer, this population that is out there, at Petrobras stations, we are making every effort and we will have diesel available,” said Pousada.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Imported diesel costs R$ 2.50 more per liter than Petrobras

The problem is the cost. According to industry sources interviewed by Reuters, imported diesel costs R$ 2.50 per liter more than the price charged by Petrobras.

However, the government subsidy only covers R$ 0.32 per liter. Therefore, the difference between the real cost and the subsidy is enormous.

“Today, the difference between the imported price and Petrobras’ price is R$ 2.50 per liter. The subsidy is about 32 cents,” industry sources told Reuters.

This difference may discourage other importers besides Vibra, concentrating the supply risk in a single company.

Heavy-duty truck on the Brazilian road depending on diesel

Government created a R$ 4 billion program to subsidize imported diesel

The federal government launched a subsidy program for imported diesel totaling R$ 4 billion. Thus, R$ 2 billion comes from the Union and R$ 2 billion from the states and the Federal District.

Vibra announced its adherence to the program on April 9, 2026. Additionally, it maintains dialogue with the ANP regarding technical conditions.

However, the program is only valid for April and May 2026. Therefore, it is a temporary solution.

Union of Vibra, Raízen, and Ipiranga calls for the resumption of Petrobras auctions

The union representing the three largest distributors in Brazil — Vibra, Raízen, and Ipiranga — sent a letter to the federal government and the ANP this week.

The request is straightforward: the resumption of Petrobras’ fuel auctions. Furthermore, they warned of risks to national supply with indefinite stocks and short deadlines for imports.

Industry sources argue that the real solution is a price adjustment by Petrobras, not just subsidies for importers.

Meeting between government and distributors about fuel supply

Petrobras released extra gasoline but diesel remains tight

On April 10, Petrobras released an additional volume of gasoline for Vibra. Pousada celebrated: “We had great news. Petrobras released an additional volume of gasoline.”

However, diesel remains tight. Thus, the recovery of volume depends on future actions by Petrobras.

“We can see that Petrobras is working hand in hand with our team. I am sure we will work together to recover this diesel volume going forward,” said the CEO.

The crisis is set against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, which has restricted global supply and increased product prices. To understand the full impact, see how oil soared to US$ 117 after Trump’s ultimatum to Iran.

Still, the solution is palliative. Stocks remain low, the subsidy covers a fraction of the real cost, and Vibra admits that the situation depends on expensive imports and cooperation from Petrobras in the coming weeks.

Fuel storage terminal with tanks and trucks

The largest fuel distributor in Brazil has just been forced to import diesel and gasoline on its own after Petrobras reduced its monthly deliveries.

Imported diesel costs R$ 2.50 more per liter than Petrobras

Government created a R$ 4 billion program to subsidize imported diesel

Union of Vibra, Raízen, and Ipiranga calls for the resumption of Petrobras auctions

Petrobras released extra gasoline but diesel remains tight

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Spain installs two giant pipelines 2.2 km off the coast to draw water from the Mediterranean and supply a megafacility capable of producing 200 million liters of drinking water per day.

The Union will invest R$ 3.6 billion to revive the Malha Oeste, a 1,625 km abandoned railway that connects Corumbá to São Paulo, in a concession project recently approved by ANTT that promises to reconnect the Midwest to the Port of Santos and the borders with Bolivia and Paraguay.

Scientists have discovered that the Earth recycles its own continents in the depths, dragging pieces of crust down during plate collisions and returning them later as magma, in a mechanism called relamination that has helped build the continents for billions of years.

New mathematical model indicates global population decline by 2064 in an extreme scenario of environmental crises, with humanity potentially halving if Earth’s sustainable capacity is reduced to 2 billion people.

Research led by the University of Zurich followed 12 crew members for ten months at the Concordia Station in Antarctica, where winter temperatures can drop to minus 80°C, and identified conflicts, distrust, perceived performance decline, and the formation of subgroups in an extreme environment.

A ton of old cell phones can contain up to 800 times more gold than a ton of ore extracted from a mine, according to the UN, and it is this hidden wealth in drawers that drives so-called urban mining, which can even be turned into Olympic medals.

The largest fuel distributor in Brazil has just been forced to import diesel and gasoline on its own after Petrobras reduced its monthly deliveries.

Imported diesel costs R$ 2.50 more per liter than Petrobras

Government created a R$ 4 billion program to subsidize imported diesel

Union of Vibra, Raízen, and Ipiranga calls for the resumption of Petrobras auctions

Petrobras released extra gasoline but diesel remains tight

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Spain installs two giant pipelines 2.2 km off the coast to draw water from the Mediterranean and supply a megafacility capable of producing 200 million liters of drinking water per day.

Farmer drills well in Ceará in search of water, accidentally finds crude oil and sees million-dollar discovery hindered by a rule that completely changes the future of the site.

Family finds oil on a 49-hectare site in Ceará, but exploration has no timeline or guarantee of happening

When drilling an artesian well, a farmer wanted water but found oil: ANP confirms that the dark liquid found by a farmer on a site in Ceará is crude oil.

European stocks rise with oil drop after Trump’s remarks on Iran as investors monitor global tension

While the Brazil-Peru rail has been under study for 11 years, China-Brazil unlock the $18.5 billion bi-oceanic corridor Manaus-Chancay to challenge the Panama Canal

The Union will invest R$ 3.6 billion to revive the Malha Oeste, a 1,625 km abandoned railway that connects Corumbá to São Paulo, in a concession project recently approved by ANTT that promises to reconnect the Midwest to the Port of Santos and the borders with Bolivia and Paraguay.

Scientists have discovered that the Earth recycles its own continents in the depths, dragging pieces of crust down during plate collisions and returning them later as magma, in a mechanism called relamination that has helped build the continents for billions of years.

New mathematical model indicates global population decline by 2064 in an extreme scenario of environmental crises, with humanity potentially halving if Earth’s sustainable capacity is reduced to 2 billion people.

Research led by the University of Zurich followed 12 crew members for ten months at the Concordia Station in Antarctica, where winter temperatures can drop to minus 80°C, and identified conflicts, distrust, perceived performance decline, and the formation of subgroups in an extreme environment.

A ton of old cell phones can contain up to 800 times more gold than a ton of ore extracted from a mine, according to the UN, and it is this hidden wealth in drawers that drives so-called urban mining, which can even be turned into Olympic medals.