Brazil’s Petrobras is in the final stages of studies for the resumption of fertilizer production at Araucária Nitrogenados (ANSA), a subsidiary in Parana state, the company said in a filing, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
The plant has been shut since 2020 “and, after investments and adjustments to meet regulatory standards, it may resume operations in the first half of 2024,” according to the filing. Petrobras said that after finalizing the technical and economic feasibility studies, the resumption project will be submitted for approval by the company’s Executive Board and Board of Directors.
ANSA has the capacity to process about 1,900 mt/d of urea and 1,300 mt/d of ammonia. The company says the raw material used in the unit is asphalt residue, which can be obtained from the Presidente Getúlio Vargas Refinery (Repar), located in the city of Araucária, Paraná.