Refinery in Brazil. Photo Credit: FABIO RODRIGUES-POZZEBOM/ AGÊNCIA BRASIL
May 19, 2026
ABr
By Bruno de Freitas Moura
Against the backdrop of Brazil’s efforts to increase production of petroleum-derived fuels and reduce dependence on international markets, Petrobras reported that its refineries are operating above capacity.
The company stated that, in the first quarter of 2026, the Total Utilization Factor (FUT) of its refineries stood at 95 percent. In March alone, the FUT reached 97.4 percent, the highest level since December 2014.
During a conference call last week between company executives, investors, and market analysts, the company’s president, Magda Chambriard, went further and said that in April and May the FUT exceeded 100 percent.
“Petrobras doesn’t like limits. Its goal is to surpass them every day,” she stated.
The director of Industrial Processes and Products, William França, explained that the company is already operating “at 100 percent, 102 percent, 103 percent.”
Total Utilization Factor
The FUT is a calculation that takes into account the volume of oil processed and the reference capacity of the refineries, within the assets’ design limits, as well as safety,
The higher the FUT, the more intensively the refineries are being used. When the indicator reaches 100 percent, they are operating at full capacity.
França explained that the utilization factor can exceed 100 percent because the processing load may be slightly higher than the installed reference capacity, provided there is approval from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP).
War
França attributed the increase in the FUT to the international geopolitical environment, noting that the company is an exporter of petroleum products.
“We felt the impact of the war. The more we refine our oil, the more money we make. We’re adding value beyond crude oil exports.”
The director noted that Petrobras set a record for oil production in the first quarter and emphasized that the company is “investing heavily in refinery reliability through risk-based inspections and other engineering tools.”
“So, pumps, for example, which used to operate 70 percent of the time, are now operating 90 percent of the time before requiring maintenance,” he added.
According to França, Petrobras is reducing downtime at its facilities, increasing refinery reliability and enabling operations at higher loads for much longer periods than in the past.
“This allows us to increase our utilization fator – in other words, to run our units at higher loads for longer periods,” he said.
The head of industrial processes at the state-owned company added that 2026 has been a year of reduced scheduled maintenance shutdowns. “We carried out extensive scheduled maintenance last year to prepare the units,” França explained.
“That’s what scheduled maintenance is for – to give the unit a thorough checkup and prepare it for a reliable operating cycle, with availability close to 100 percent,” the director concluded.
Record at Abreu e Lima
França cited the example of the Abreu e Lima Refinery in the state of Pernambuco, which underwent maintenance in the first quarter of last year. The facility has a production capacity of 130,000 barrels per day.
“It underwent a highly successful shutdown and can now increase its output to 140,000 or 150,000 barrels per day because it is reliable.”
Earlier this month, Petrobras announced that the unit set an April production record for S-10 diesel, a less polluting grade, at 385 million liters, surpassing the previous record of 373 million liters set in July 2016.
Petrobras has 11 refineries, including the Boaventura Energy Complex in Rio de Janeiro. The largest is Paulínia, in São Paulo state, which accounts for about 30 percent of Brazil’s total oil refining capacity.
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