REPLAN represents Petrobras’ largest refining facility and one of South America’s biggest, providing established industrial infrastructure, distribution network access, and proximity to southeastern Brazil’s major airports and aviation fuel consumption centers. The location selection reflects both operational advantages and the refinery’s role as a transition platform for renewable fuels integration within Petrobras’ asset base.
The technology licensing builds on a partnership that extends beyond biofuels. Honeywell has supplied automation systems including its Experion PKS platform across multiple Petrobras installations and collaborated on refining technology and natural gas processing for years. In 2024, Petrobras already licensed Honeywell UOP’s HEFA technology for SAF and renewable diesel production at the Presidente Bernardes refinery in Cubatão, using soybean oil and tallow feedstocks. The REPLAN ethanol-to-jet project represents a second renewable fuels bet with different conversion technology and larger projected scale.
Brazil’s positioning stems from simultaneous advantages that few other markets can match at comparable scale: massive renewable biomass availability, decades of operational experience in the bioenergy sector, and now access to proven conversion technology. The country produces tens of billions of liters of sugarcane ethanol annually through consolidated production, storage, and distribution infrastructure. This existing supply chain provides logistical and scale benefits difficult to replicate in other regional contexts.
The project timing aligns with accelerating global SAF demand as airlines face mounting emission reduction commitments. European regulation ReFuelEU Aviation already imposes minimum blending percentages, pressuring carriers to secure reliable suppliers capable of guaranteeing volume and traceability. José Fernandes, Honeywell Latin America president, characterized Brazil as possessing the scale, feedstock, and technology partnerships necessary to become a global sustainable aviation fuel power. If executed, REPLAN could serve as a reference point for similar initiatives across the region as Argentina explores both soybean oil HEFA routes and corn ethanol ETJ pathways toward SAF production.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
