Petrobras Takes the Project to Final Investment Decision
Petrobras approved the Final Investment Decision for its RPBC Biorefining project on June 19, 2026, moving forward with a dedicated renewable fuels plant at the Presidente Bernardes Refinery in Cubatão, São Paulo.
The company estimates investment in the project at approximately $1.2 billion.
With the investment approved, Petrobras plans to move into the final contracting phase, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2026.
The project forms part of the company’s 2026–2030 Business Plan and represents a significant expansion of renewable fuel production within Brazil’s existing refining infrastructure.
SAF and Renewable Diesel at Industrial Scale
The new facility is designed to produce up to 15,000 barrels per day of renewable fuels, including bio-based aviation fuel and renewable diesel.
Petrobras expects the plant to begin operations in 2030.
The project will use the HEFA pathway, which processes renewable oils and fats through hydrotreatment to produce fuels compatible with existing aviation and diesel applications.
For aviation, the investment is intended to expand the availability of lower-carbon fuel alternatives as airlines and governments introduce increasingly stringent sustainability requirements.
Renewable diesel produced through the same general pathway can also be used within existing diesel infrastructure, providing another route for reducing the fossil content of transport fuels.
Brazil Expands Its Renewable Fuels Infrastructure
The Cubatão investment shows how renewable fuels are moving from smaller demonstration projects toward integration with large-scale conventional refining systems.
Rather than developing the project as an isolated facility, Petrobras is placing the new production unit inside an established refinery complex with existing logistics, storage and fuel-distribution infrastructure.
The company says the project is aligned with international aviation requirements under CORSIA as well as Brazil’s Future Fuel Law, which establishes a broader policy framework for expanding lower-carbon transport fuels.
For Brazil, the project also connects the country’s established biofuel industry with growing international demand for sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.
If construction proceeds according to schedule, the RPBC facility will become part of a wider wave of investment aimed at increasing commercial-scale renewable fuel production before the end of the decade.
Sources
Petrobras — Petrobras Approves Investment in Bio-Jet Fuel and Renewable Diesel Plant at RPBC, June 19, 2026
Petrobras — Business Plan 2026–2030