Brazil's Refining Sector Faces Major Maintenance Wave in 2027

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Written by Leonor Caminos for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Brazil's refining sector is preparing for an extensive maintenance program in 2027, creating potential opportunities for engineering firms, contractors, equipment suppliers and specialist service providers. Work will span crude distillation, catalytic cracking, coking and hydrotreating units across the country, with activity peaking between May and August.

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A Promising Start

The year opens with maintenance at five refineries. Mataripe, in Bahia, will service its 69,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) diesel hydrotreater, while REFAP, in Rio Grande do Sul, plans work on its crude distillation, delayed coking and diesel hydrotreating units. The Potiguar Refinery will take both atmospheric distillation units offline during the first half of January. REPAR, in Parana and REDUC, in Rio de Janeiro, will also begin maintenance programs extending into February.

Activity intensifies in February and March, with work at the Riograndense and Dax Oil refineries, alongside additional shutdowns at REPAR and REVAP. Scheduled maintenance covers crude and vacuum distillation, catalytic reforming, fluid catalytic cracking and delayed coking. In April, REFAP returns to the schedule with work on its residue catalytic cracker, fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), propylene unit, sulfur recovery system and amine units.

May and June represent the busiest period. At REPLAN, in Sao Paulo, maintenance will cover two 207,500-bpd crude distillation units, two vacuum units, an FCCU, a delayed coker, a catalytic reformer and several hydrotreaters. REGAP, in Minas Gerais, will undertake work on its crude and vacuum distillation units, FCCU and diesel hydrotreater, while RPBC, in Cubatao, will service a broad range of processing and sulfur recovery equipment. REDUC and REVAP will also carry out maintenance on major processing units, making the midyear period a key window for companies targeting refinery turnaround contracts.

The second half of the year remains active, led by major crude unit shutdowns. Mataripe plans maintenance on its 220,000-bpd Topping 1 unit from July to mid-August, while REVAP will take its 251,000-bpd atmospheric distillation unit offline from early July to early August. RECAP, in Maua, will also undertake work on its crude unit, FCCU and hydrotreaters during this period. REDUC's maintenance program continues into the final months of the year, covering diesel hydrotreating, delayed coking and lubricant base oil processing, while REPAR and REVAP have further work scheduled through early October. The calendar closes with maintenance at the Coroados Refinery in Sao Paulo state, extending from late December into early January 2028.

Key Takeaways

• The scale and geographic spread of Brazil's 2027 maintenance program point to sustained demand for refinery maintenance, equipment supply, inspection and specialist engineering services.
• The concentration of major shutdowns between May and August is expected to make this period particularly significant for suppliers and contractors seeking to secure work across the country's refining sector.

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