Petrobras' divestment programme includes eight refineries
Petrobras refinery sale in limbo
Downstream divestment programme at risk as federal office scrutinises auction
Brazilian regulatory authorities have baulked at the $1.65bn selling price of the Landulpho Alves refinery (RLAM), agreed between state oil company Petrobras and Emirati investment fund Mubadala, and are threatening to suspend the transaction pending further investigation. Petrobras had valued the facility, in Bahia state, at more than $3bn. It is one of eight refineries being touted as part of the NOC’s divestment drive. Earlier in the year, Petrobras terminated the sale of its Presidente Getulio Vargas refinery when binding proposals came in lower than its financial estimate. But offloading non-core assets is a priority for the Brazilian company to cut debt and refocus on its more profitab
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
