Brazil’s ANP approves Petrobras to restart Replan refinery
Aug. 30, 2018
Brazil’s National Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels Agency (ANP) has approved Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) to resume production at the operator’s 415,000-b/d Replan refinery in Paulinia, Sao Paulo, following an Aug. 20 fire that led to a temporary suspension of operations at the complex (OGJ Online, Aug. 23, 2018).
The resumption of operations of the unaffected units will occur safely beginning on Aug. 30, according to the evaluation and inspection performed by ANP and following the company’s standard procedures for refining units to enter into operation, Petrobras said.
The company said it expects regularization of the distillation unit within 2 days, catalytic cracking and hydrotreatment units within 3 days, and other unaffected units within 1 week, which will normalize 50% of the refinery’s production within the period.
The precautionary suspension of processing operations at the site stems from the fire, the origin of which was an explosion in a tank of one of the acidic water units associated with the U-220A catalytic cracking unit that also impacted one of the refinery’s atmospheric distillation units (U-200) (OGJ Online, Aug. 27, 2018).
Petrobras has yet to disclose details regarding the severity of the incident’s impact to the U-200 and U-220A units or when those units might be restarted.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
