Brazil’s Petrobras seeks buyers for idled ammonia, urea units in Paraná

Richard Ewing

18-Sep-2020

LONDON (ICIS)–Brazil’s Petrobras on Thursday announced plans to sell its shuttered ammonia and urea plants run by wholly-owned subsidiary Araucária Nitrogenados S.A. (ANSA).

Hibernated since the start of this year, the complex in the southern state of Paraná has a daily urea and ammonia capacity of 1,975 tonnes and 1,303 tonnes, respectively.

Of the total ammonia produced, approximately 180 tonnes/day is sold on the domestic market, with the large balance consumed for urea production, Petrobras noted in a teaser brochure.

ANSA swallows around 430,000 m3/day of natural gas for its operations, noted its owner, with up to 450 tonnes/day of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and 200 tonnes/day of carbon dioxide also produced at the facility.

“Fertilizers are one of the main drivers of the Brazilian agriculture yields expansion”, the brochure said, highlighting the “opportunity to tap into a unique platform in the nitrogen fertilizer sector in Brazil”.

Commissioned in 1982 near the industrial area of Curitiba, ANSA is close to the busy port of Paranaguá, with its urea production capacity representing about 13% of last year’s domestic demand.

Spread over around 160 acres, the idled plant also includes logistics operations like bulk loading stations, loading platforms and packing facility, and a railway terminal.

Petrobras has not disclosed a target price for the sale of ANSA, with potential buyers given until 23 October to register their interest.

ANSA produces nitrogen fertilizers for agricultural and industrial use. Photo courtesy of Petrobras.

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