Petrobras halts fertilizer production at two Brazilian units after operational disruptions

Petrobras has suspended fertilizer production at two nitrogen facilities after operational incidents, raising concerns about the reliability of Brazil’s efforts to restore domestic fertilizer manufacturing.

Petrobras informed Argus Media that operations at the Araucaria Nitrogenados (Ansa) complex in Paraná have been suspended since April 30 due to a compressor room incident. The facility had only recently resumed operations after being idle since 2020. Ammonia sales from the site continue as normal, and Petrobras will announce a timeline for restarting fertilizer production at a later date.

Ansa has an annual production capacity of 720,000 metric tons of urea, 475,000 metric tons of ammonia, and 450,000 cubic meters of Arla 32 diesel emissions-control fluid. Petrobras also confirmed that operations at the Fafen Sergipe fertilizer unit in northeastern Brazil were halted due to a power supply failure that damaged operational systems. The company expects production to resume later this month and reports that existing inventories have prevented supply disruptions.

The Fafen Sergipe unit resumed ammonia production at the end of 2025 after an extended idle period under previous operator Unigel. Petrobras reported the plant was operating at about 90% of its nameplate urea capacity in early March, or roughly 1,800 metric tons per day. The facility can produce up to 650,000 metric tons of urea, 450,000 metric tons of ammonia, and 320,000 metric tons of ammonium sulfate annually.

A third fertilizer unit, Fafen Bahia, recently reduced output for maintenance on its pumping system. Petrobras stated that production has since increased but did not disclose current operating rates at the Bahia plant.

Petrobras stated that restarting the Bahia and Sergipe units allowed the company to supply about 10% of Brazil’s urea market in the first quarter of 2026. The company noted that all three fertilizer plants experienced extended periods of “hibernation,” resulting in equipment degradation and increased maintenance needs after resuming operations.

Brazil continues to rely heavily on fertilizer imports despite government initiatives to rebuild domestic production. According to the Brazilian fertilizer distributor association Anda, the country consumed over 49.1 million metric tons of fertilizer in 2025, with about 88% imported. Petrobras has connected the restart of its fertilizer operations to Brazil’s national fertilizer strategy, which seeks to reduce dependence on foreign supplies.