Petrobras assesses postponing maintenance to avoid the risk of diesel shortages

Petrobras is evaluating a request from the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) to postpone scheduled maintenance at the state-owned refineries across the country, scheduled for the second half of the year. The information was confirmed this Monday (13) at CNN by the state company itself, which analyzes the proposal, based on the operational conditions and integrity of the refineries.

The measure proposed by the ANP is intended to prevent the country from facing any risk of diesel shortages. This is because Brazil does not produce enough fuel to meet domestic market demand and needs to import it, but inventories are low in the main international centers, which has high costs.

At the end of May, a letter sent by the president of Petrobras, José Mauro Ferreira Coelho, addressed to the director general of the ANP, Rodolfo Saboia, was made public, in which the executive of the state-owned company mentioned “high risk of diesel shortages in the Brazilian market in second half of 2022”.

On June 6, during the inauguration of new members of the collegiate board of the ANP, Saboia stated that: “The supply of derivatives is today a global challenge. At ANP, we have worked very hard to honor our commitment to society, to guarantee supply and protect the interests of consumers. On the other hand, concerns about energy security reinforce our strategic positioning of increasing Brazilian attractiveness as a producer of oil and natural gas”.

Last year, the country imported 23.24% of the diesel used in the country, according to ANP data. In addition to being used to transport heavy vehicles, such as buses and trucks that transport goods of all types across the country, the product is also used to generate thermoelectric energy in old power plants in the country and in private generators, such as those used in hospitals. .

Petrobras is on the verge of experiencing a moment of transition. On June 9, the company confirmed that it had received a letter from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, with the names of ten nominees from the government, the company’s controller, for the company’s Board of Directors. Among them are the names of Caio Mário Paes de Andrade, for the presidency of the company, and Gilenio Gurjão Barreto, for the presidency of the Board of Directors.

Now, the nominees are waiting for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be scheduled, which will elect them. The meeting has not yet been scheduled and must be called at least 30 days in advance. Until then, the state-owned company will continue to be led by Ferreira Coelho.