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Unigel needs Petrobras spend for losses on Brazil fertilizer plants, letter programs

Brazilian chemical business Unigel is demanding settlement from staterun Petrobras for losses on 2 leased fertilizer plants, a legal letter seen revealed, marking another setback in settlements to reopen the plants.

The two plants, a key part of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's plan to alleviate Brazil's reliance on imported fertilizer, have stopped operations since the second half of last year.

In December, the 2 firms tattooed a tolling agreement in which Petrobras would provide natural gas in return for fertilizer, letting Unigel reboot production without concern about fuel prices. The deal failed in June without taking result after Brazil's federal audit court (TCU) said it could cause a loss of 487 million reais ($ 87 million) to Petrobras.

In the previously unreported letter from Unigel lawyers, dated June 20, the chemical company complained that the deal had made its financial situation much more critical.

The hold-up in implementing the Tolling Agreement is resulting in considerable losses to Unigel, the legal representatives told Petrobras a. week before the state-run firm ended the contract.

The legal representatives added that Unigel needs to be repaid completely. by Petrobras for losses because the tolling deal was signed.

In a declaration, Unigel said the total losses face the. hundreds of millions of reais.

Petrobras did not address concerns about the needs in the. Unigel letter. Both firms continue to work on a service to. resume production, they told in different statements.

However, the letter reveals that since last month the companies -. presently in arbitration - were far from a deal and relations. were strained, with Unigel calling Petrobras' actions abusive.

Boosting fertilizer production is a priority for Lula's. federal government. Because he took workplace in 2023, Petrobras has actually reversed. course on its divestments from fertilizers, revealing in June. that it would resume operations on among its plants.

As a farming powerhouse, Brazil is amongst the world's. leading customers of fertilizers, more than 80% of which it imports. Under a plan revealed in 2022, Brazil plans to cut fertilizer. imports to 45% by 2050.

Yet the two plants in Sergipe and Bahia mentions that Unigel. has been renting from Petrobras given that 2019 have actually stayed idle. this year. When operational, the plants made Unigel the largest. Brazilian producer of nitrogen fertilizers.

Unigel is spending around 13 million reais ($ 2.4 million). monthly on the plants, said the legal representatives, getting worse the firm's. financial situation as it seeks to reorganize 4.1 billion reais. of financial obligation with bondholders.

Up until March, when it fired the plants' workers, Unigel. was spending 35 million reais per month, its attorneys said,. adding that the company had actually kept them utilized at the demand of. Petrobras.

Still, the company does not wish to let go of the properties, it. informed in a statement, as it intends to resume operations. when they end up being economically feasible.

Without a deal, Petrobras and Unigel have actually been in a. private arbitration process given that December over provisions in. their gas supply agreement.

Arbitration processes typically take around 2 years to reach a. conclusion, but some can last as much as 5 years, stated Marcelo. Godke, a specialist in business law at Godke Advogados.

(source: Reuters)