Brazil's energy pitch to India: More crude for refining expertise.
BPCL) signed a long-term contract to procure 12 million barrels of crude in 2026-27 from Petrobras in January this year, renewing a previous contract signed in 2025.While Brazil is largely self-sufficient in crude oil production, it has one “vulnerability”, according to Nóbrega. “One vulnerability is that we are self-sufficient in crude oil production, but we are not self-sufficient in refined oil,” he said, adding that diesel is required for a bulk of the freight transport in the country by road and rail.“India also could install refineries in Brazil because you are one of the largest countries in terms of oil refining,” he said, noting that one of India’s biggest exports to the largest country in South America is refined oils, including diesel.India has a refining capacity of 258 million tonnes per year and has helped countries such as Nigeria and Mongolia develop refineries.
Recently, US President Donald Trump announced that Reliance Industries Ltd, which owns and operates the world's largest integrated refining facility in Jamnagar, Gujarat, would tie up with US entity America First to develop a refinery in the US.Nóbrega said India-Brazil relations have been forged on a basis of complementarity, and ongoing geopolitical tensions will only provide tailwinds to these relations as nations seek reliable, trusted partners."Brazilian crude is heavy and sour, and Indian refineries have sufficient expertise to process it. Given the nature of this crude, they are also cheaper compared to other variants.
So, importing more Brazilian crude would be beneficial for India. Secondly, Brazil would also be a good market for diesel produced in India, as we already are a major exporter of petroleum products," said Gaurav Moda, partner
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