Rio de Janeiro government cancels Refit refinery registration as Inea launches licensing review

The Rio de Janeiro state government, through the State Treasury Secretariat (Sefaz‑RJ), revoked the state registration of the Refit refinery (Refinaria de Petróleos de Manguinhos S.A.) on 29 May. The cancellation marks the company as "impeded" in the ICMS tax system, effectively halting any operations that require a state tax inscription. The move is part of a broader effort to expropriate the refinery’s land to offset the group’s accumulated tax debts, estimated at around R$30 billion, including R$14.3 billion in ICMS liabilities. The refinery is owned by businessman Ricardo Magro, who has been identified as the country’s largest taxpayer defaulter.

Separately, the State Institute of the Environment (Inea) created a technical working group to review the environmental licensing processes for the Refit refinery. The group, composed of Inea experts and external specialists, has 30 days to assess whether all licensing stages complied with legal and technical standards. Inea officials stressed the need for rigorous technical responsibility and indicated that any irregularities found would trigger formal notifications to the company. Petrobras president Magda Chambriard has expressed interest in the refinery’s site for potential future expansion.