Petrobras RPBC Biorefining – renewable aviation fuel (BioQAV/SAF) and renewable diesel (HVO) plant, Presidente Bernardes Refinery, Cubatão

The plant is Petrobras's first unit built only for renewable fuels. It will make a renewable jet-fuel blending component (BioQAV, the sustainable aviation fuel part blended into jet fuel) and 100% renewable diesel (HVO). It sits at the Presidente Bernardes Refinery (RPBC) in Cubatão, on the São Paulo coast, near the port of Santos.

Technology: in December 2023 Petrobras bought a licence for Honeywell UOP's HEFA process. HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) turns vegetable oils and animal fats into fuel by treating them with hydrogen. The design basis then was 2,700 m³/day of feedstock, 70% soybean oil and 30% beef tallow, as part of Petrobras's BioRefino programme. Feedstock is about 950,000 t/yr of soybean oil and beef tallow, mainly from Brazil's Centre-West, South and Southeast.

Contracting: Petrobras opened tenders on 20 August 2025, split into five packages. The first is the pre-treatment unit, which removes impurities before conversion. Other packages include tie-ins and the flare system (bids due 20 April 2026) and about 20 storage tanks for products and feedstocks. In July 2026 Consag Engenharia bid R$954.3 million for the pre-treatment package (design, civil works, electromechanical assembly and commissioning). About 3,000 construction jobs are expected.

Investment decision: Petrobras's board approved the final investment decision on 19 June 2026. Investment is about US$1.2 billion (R$6.2 billion) for up to 15,000 barrels a day of renewable fuels. Petrobras links the project to ICAO's CORSIA and Brazil's Fuel of the Future Law, including the ProBioQAV airline targets from 2027.

Setback: on 24 September 2026 Petrobras's director of industrial processes and products, William França, said all three dedicated SAF plants would slip a year. For RPBC this means 2030 instead of 2029, alongside Boaventura (19,000 bpd) and Replan (10,000 bpd) moving to 2031. Until then Petrobras supplies SAF by co-processing at Reduc, where it sold 3.8 million litres of soybean-based SAF to Vibra. Revap and Regap are being certified and Replan's co-processing is due by end-2026.

A search on 9 Nov 2026 found no RPBC contract awards reported between 1 Oct and 9 Nov 2026. Industrial Info Resources (3 Nov 2026) tracks one SAF-related unit project at RPBC among six across Petrobras refineries (US$560 million in total), but gives no contractor or date for it. The same report says Petrobras sold 6.1 million litres of co-processed SAF from Reduc between April and June 2026.

Milestone path

1. 30 Dec 2023

   Honeywell UOP HEFA licence

   Achieved

   Petrobras licensed Honeywell UOP's HEFA process for a unit at RPBC. The design basis was 2,700 m³/day of feedstock (70% soybean oil, 30% beef tallow).

   Why it matters: The technology choice fixes the feedstock and catalyst supply chain.

2. 20 Aug 2025

   Construction tenders opened

   Achieved

   Petrobras opened tenders for the plant in five packages, starting with the pre-treatment unit. Packages include tie-ins, the flare system and about 20 storage tanks.

   Why it matters: It opened the main construction openings for Brazilian EPC firms.

3. 2025 (year only)

   First domestic SAF delivered

   Achieved

   Petrobras delivered 3 million litres of its first domestic SAF, co-processed at existing refineries, to distributors serving Rio de Janeiro's Galeão airport.

   Why it matters: Co-processing is Petrobras's stop-gap supply until dedicated plants like RPBC run.

4. 19 Jun 2026

   Final investment decision taken

   Latest

   Petrobras's board approved about US$1.2 billion (R$6.2 billion) for up to 15,000 barrels a day of renewable fuels.

   Why it matters: It is Petrobras's first plant built only for renewable fuels.

Milestone path

1. 8 Jul 2026

   Consag bids for pre-treatment unit

   Achieved

   Consag Engenharia bid R$954.3 million for the pre-treatment unit package (design, civil works, electromechanical assembly, commissioning).

   Why it matters: the award itself, not confirmed by 9 Nov 2026.

2. 24 Sep 2026 (ROG.e, Rio de Janeiro)

   Start-up moved to 2030

   Latest

   Director William França said all three dedicated SAF plants would slip a year; for RPBC this means 2030 instead of 2029.

   Why it matters: Domestic SAF from RPBC arrives three years after airline targets begin.

3. Late 2026 (date not announced)

   2027–2031 Business Plan published

   Planned

   Petrobras's next five-year plan is expected to confirm the RPBC budget and timing.

   What to watch: whether RPBC stays in the firm project list and keeps its 2030 date.

4. End of 2026

   Contracts signed, construction starts

   Planned

   Petrobras expects to finish contracting and start construction by the end of 2026, creating about 3,000 construction jobs.

   What to watch: contractor names for the five packages; none had been announced by 9 Nov 2026.

Milestone path

1. 1 Jan 2027

   ProBioQAV demand begins

   Planned

   Brazil's airline emissions-reduction target (1% from 2027) starts, creating domestic demand for SAF.

   What to watch: It is the main demand driver for the plant's output.

2. 2030

   RPBC plant starts up

   Planned

   The plant is due to start making BioQAV and HVO from about 950,000 t/yr of soybean oil and beef tallow.

   What to watch: offtake deals with airlines or distributors, none published yet.

3. 2031

   Sister plants Boaventura and Replan

   Planned

   Petrobras's other two dedicated SAF plants, Boaventura (19,000 bpd) and Replan (10,000 bpd), are due in 2031.

   What to watch: RPBC's build will be the model, and the lessons, for the next two plants.