Source: Phaedra Friend Troy
A ceremony was held today at the Vargas Refinery (Repar) in Araucaria, Parana in Brazil to celebrate the completion of the first stage of upgrades at the refinery. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva attended the ceremony.
The purpose of the upgrades is to allow the Repar refinery to produce diesel and gasoline with lower sulfur contents.
The upgrades will improve the Brazilian nation's ability to refine the quality of their oil derivatives, allowing Petrobras (PBR) to process fuels that meet the most stringent international laws.
"In addition to improving the quality of life of the Brazilian people, we will be able to export derivatives, and not crude oil," said Petrobras' CEO Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo.
The Repar refinery currently employs more than 15,000 employees, and it will employ some 20,000 by the time all of the upgrades are complete.
"It is the largest investment in course in the state of Parana and Petrobras' biggest investment in refining," said Gabrielli de Azevedo.
Requiring an investment of $5.4 billion, the total refinery upgrades will include 19 new propolene production units, the addition of an integrated control center, a new firefighting training center, a boiler and two power substations. The refinery upgrades began in 2006 and are expected to be completed by 2012.
