What Brasil Refino does

Brasil Refino (legal name Brasil Refinarias Ltda) is a privately held oil refinery company headquartered at the Aratu Industrial Center in Simões Filho, Bahia, Brazil. Founded in 2016, the company is developing a greenfield refinery to address Brazil's structural refining capacity deficit — a gap of approximately 600,000 bbl/d arising because Brazil produces roughly 3.4 million bbl/d of crude but only refines about 2.2 million bbl/d domestically. The facility is engineered to API standards and is designed to produce ten refined petroleum derivatives spanning automotive fuels (Diesel S-10, Diesel S-500, Gasoline A), petrochemical feedstocks (Light Naphtha, Petrochemical Kerosene), and specialty products (Paraffin, Specialty Oils, Solvents, Heavy Oils, BPF). Core technical components include an advanced effluent treatment plant, oily drainage systems, and an emissions monitoring plan, with environmental and process safety compliance integrated from the start of construction.

The company operates a B2B transaction-based revenue model, contracting directly with regional fuel distributors and industrial buyers across Brazil's domestic market. Its ANP Foreign Trade Agent certification permits crude imports and derivative exports, and the company has integrated backward through the 2019 acquisition of stakes in mature onshore fields for feedstock supply. Brasil Refino secured Bahia state incentive programs (DESENVOLVE, REPETRO/SPED) via a 2017 letter of intent with the Secretariat of Economic Development, obtaining tax benefits, institutional support, and formalized commitments around local hiring and regional supplier development.

As of 2025, the refinery has reached 95% physical completion and filed its Operation License application with INEMA, accompanied by an Environmental Compliance Report and an Emissions Monitoring Plan. Pre-operational commissioning — including loop checks, pipeline flushing, instrument calibration, digital load simulations, and multidisciplinary operator training — was conducted across 2021-2024. The company is a member of the Refina Brasil industry association and communicates through an institutional website plus LinkedIn and Instagram channels. Headcount is reported in the 51-100 range, concentrated at the Bahia site, and listed leadership includes Director Daniel Sousa. The company has not yet recorded commercial revenue.

Name

Brasil Refino

Legal name

Brasil Refinarias Ltda

Website

https://brasilrefino.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Brasil Refino (Brasil Refinarias Ltda) is a privately held Brazilian greenfield oil refinery under construction at the Aratu Industrial Center in Bahia, designed to produce ten petroleum derivatives for regional fuel distributors and industrial buyers to address Brazil's structural refining deficit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil Refining

NAICS

Petroleum Refineries (324110), Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers (except Bulk Stations and Terminals) (424720), Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (324)

SIC

Petroleum Refining (2911), Wholesale-Petroleum & Petroleum Products (No Bulk Stations) (5172)

akta.pro primary industry

Branded Fuels Wholesaling & Jobber Distribution (EUALAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Unbranded/Spot Fuels Distribution (Rack Sales) (EUALAIAC)

Keywords

• Oil refining
• Petroleum derivatives
• Fuel production
• Refinery operations
• Petrochemical feedstocks

Headquarters

HQ city

Bahia

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Refined petroleum products sales: Brasil Refino operates as a private oil refinery producing and selling refined petroleum derivatives including Diesel S-10, Diesel S-500, Gasoline A, Light Naphtha, Paraffin, Specialty Oils, Solvents, Heavy Oils, BPF, and Petrochemical Kerosene. The company is authorized by ANP as a Foreign Trade Agent, enabling oil imports and derivative exports.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brasil Refino is a private oil refinery producing and selling refined petroleum derivatives including Diesel S-10, Diesel S-500, Gasoline A, Light Naphtha, Paraffin, Specialty Oils, Solvents, Heavy Oils, BPF, and Petrochemical Kerosene. The company operates as an ANP-certified Foreign Trade Agent enabling oil imports and derivative exports, and is positioning to reduce Brazil's structural refining deficit by transforming domestic crude into locally available derivatives.

Product overview

Brasil Refino operates a private oil refinery as part of Brazil's effort to address a structural refining deficit. The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of petroleum derivatives including automotive fuels (Diesel S-10, Diesel S-500, Gasoline A), petrochemical feedstocks (Light Naphtha, Petrochemical Kerosene), and specialty products (Paraffin, Specialty Oils, Solvents, Heavy Oils). The refinery is designed to transform abundant Brazilian crude oil into finished derivatives domestically, reducing the country's dependence on imported refined products. With approximately 95% construction completion as of 2025, the facility is awaiting operation licensing from INEMA to commence commercial production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diesel S-10 Low-sulfur diesel fuel meeting S-10 specification (sulfur content ≤ 10 ppm), designed for automotive diesel engines requiring reduced emissions. Sold to fuel distributors and industrial buyers.
• Diesel S-500 Diesel fuel with sulfur content up to 500 ppm, suitable for industrial applications and equipment compatible with higher sulfur content. Sold to fuel distributors and industrial buyers.
• Gasoline A Unadditized gasoline produced directly from the refining process, intended for further blending with ethanol and additives before retail distribution. Sold to fuel distributors.
• Light Naphtha Light hydrocarbon fraction used as feedstock for petrochemical processes or as a solvent in various industrial applications. Sold to petrochemical and industrial buyers.
• Paraffin Solid hydrocarbon wax derived from petroleum refining, used in applications including candles, packaging, cosmetics, and industrial coatings. Sold to industrial buyers.
• Specialty Oils High-quality refined oil products tailored for specialized industrial applications requiring specific viscosity and purity characteristics. Sold to industrial buyers.
• Solvents Petroleum-derived solvent products used in industrial cleaning, chemical processing, and various manufacturing applications. Sold to industrial buyers.
• Heavy Oils

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INEMA (Instituto do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Brasil Refino obtained the INEMA Installation License after satisfying Environmental Impact Study and Report (EIA/RIMA) requirements. The company filed its Operation License application with INEMA in 2025, accompanied by Environmental Compliance Report and Emissions Monitoring Plan, indicating ongoing environmental regulatory partnership.
• ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019ANP issued construction authorization and certified Brasil Refino as a Foreign Trade Agent, allowing the company to import oil and export derivatives. ANP continues as the regulatory body overseeing the refinery's operations.
• SDE (Secretariat of Economic Development of the State of Bahia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Brasil Refino signed a letter of intent with the Secretariat of Economic Development of the State of Bahia in 2017, securing alignment with DESENVOLVE and REPETRO/SPED incentive programs. These instruments consolidated tax benefits, access to institutional support, and formalized commitments to generate local jobs, foster regional supplier chains, and adopt sustainability practices.
• ICTS (Ethics Channel Provider)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerICTS is an independent and specialized company that receives ethics channel reports on behalf of Brasil Refino, ensuring absolute confidentiality and appropriate treatment for each situation by the Compliance Committee without conflict of interest.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Valero Energy: Independent US refiner operating a large, geographically diversified refining system. Comparable as a benchmark independent refiner business model relevant to evaluate Brasil Refino's unit economics, crack-spread sensitivity, and operational strategy.

Others

• Unipar: Brazilian petrochemical company producing chlorine, caustic soda and downstream specialties. Comparable to Brasil Refino on the petrochemical-feedstock side (naphtha, specialty oils) and as an adjacent downstream industrial consumer.
• Ultrapar: Brazilian conglomerate controlling Ipiranga, Ultragaz and other downstream energy assets. It is an ecosystem participant relevant to Brasil Refino as a potential strategic counterparty or competitor across the Brazilian downstream value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Ipiranga: Major Brazilian fuel distribution company serving thousands of retail stations and commercial customers. Comparable as a large potential offtaker for Brasil Refino's refined products in the Northeast Brazil market.
• Petrobras: Brazil's state-owned integrated oil major controlling the dominant share of domestic refining capacity and crude supply. It is the entrenched incumbent whose under-supplied refining park is the very structural deficit Brasil Refino is positioning to address.
• Raízen: Joint venture between Cosan and Shell, one of Brazil's largest fuel distributors and sugarcane ethanol producers. Comparable to Brasil Refino as a scaled player in Brazilian downstream fuels with active involvement in biofuels.
• Vibra Energia: Brazil's largest fuel distributor (formerly BR Distribuidora) and a likely large-volume offtaker for Brasil Refino's refined products. It is comparable as the principal downstream channel through which refined barrels flow to Brazilian consumers.

Direct peers

• Acelen: Acelen is a Brazilian private downstream operator that acquired two Petrobras refineries in Bahia and Pernambuco, ramping up private refining in Brazil. It is the most analogous competitor in the Brazilian private-refining space and a direct functional and geographic comparable to Brasil Refino.
• Refinaria de Manguinhos: One of the few private-sector refiners in Brazil, operating a smaller-capacity refinery in Rio de Janeiro for fuels, solvents and specialty cuts. It is a direct private-refining peer in the same regulatory and market environment.
• Recap (Refinaria de Capuava): A small private Brazilian refinery near São Paulo focused on fuels and petrochemical feedstocks. It represents the niche of independent Brazilian private refiners competing alongside Brasil Refino for share of the structural refining deficit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brasil-refino
• Instagraminstagram.com/brasilrefino
• Facebookfacebook.com/brasilrefino

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brasil Refino