History

The refinery is located in the Mataripe district in São Francisco do Conde (BA) and its logistics assets, in Madre de Deus (BA). It was the country’s first refinery, beginning operations in September 1950, and is currently the second largest in the country.

The unit, built on September 17, 1950 – before the creation of Petrobras – and named Refinaria Nacional do Petróleo (National Oil Refinery), was initially driven by oil production in Candeias.

The beginning of operations at the National Oil Refinery marked the beginning of a decisive new cycle in the development of Bahia, and Brazil as a whole.

The refinery began operations with significant production volume for that period – 2,500 barrels a day – making it a pioneer in changing the belief that there was no oil in Brazilian soil.

For nearly three decades, the Refinery was responsible for making Bahia the only oil-producing state in Brazil, producing up to 25% of national demand.

When Petrobras was created in 1953, the refinery was incorporated into the newly created company and was renamed in 1957 in honor of the agricultural engineer and politician from Bahia who fought for the cause of oil in Brazil: engineer Landulpho Alves.

2021 marks a new milestone in the evolution of the energy sector in Brazil, with the acquisition of the asset by Mubadala Capital.