Base oil production in Brazil increased by 9% in April, according to data released by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels.
Brazil’s base oil production rose to 49,000 metric tons in April, compared to 45,000 tons in the same month last year.
The base oil plant at the Duque de Caxias Refinery, known as Reduc, produced about 40,000 tons in March, for a 10% increase. Owned by Petrobras, the plant has capacity to make 584,000 tons per year of API Group I oils.
Owned by Petrobras, the Lubnor base oil plant produced 4,500 tons in April, unchanged from the same amount a year earlier. Formally named Refinaria Lubrificantes e Derivados do Nordeste, or Northeastern Lubricants and Derivatives Refinery, its plant has 68,000 t/y annual naphthenic base stocks production capacity.
Production at the base oil plant at Mataripe Refinery in Sao Francisco de Conde also produced about 4,500 metric tons in April, unchanged from the same month last year. Owned by Mubadala Investment Co. and operated by its Acelen subsidiary, the plant has annual Group I production capacity of 91,000 t/y.
Brazil imports much more base oil than it produces, most of it from the United States in the form of API Group II base oil.