Fuel supply constraints are impacting a majority of gas stations in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, according to a survey released Wednesday, March 25, 2026. The study, conducted by the Intermunicipal Syndicate of Retail Trade of Fuels and Lubricants in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Sulpetro), found that 88% of stations are experiencing difficulties receiving product deliveries from distributors. This situation is raising concerns about potential price increases and disruptions for consumers.
The survey, which polled 1,253 stations on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, indicated shortages of common and additive gasoline, as well as S500 and S10 diesel fuel. Reports have surfaced recently of stations in Porto Alegre and the surrounding metropolitan area facing limited fuel availability, with five out of ten stations visited on Monday, March 23, 2026, reporting some type of shortage.
Sulpetro attributes the supply issues to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, which it says has prompted distributors to restrict deliveries. According to the syndicate, deliveries are arriving in volumes below normal levels. Increased demand from companies seeking to secure fuel supplies is also contributing to the limitations.
The survey included stations both with and without branded affiliations, excluding those in the Serra Gaúcha region, which has its own syndicate.
“If I can’t get a competitive price, I’ll close the station”
Independent stations are facing particularly acute challenges. Without contracts with distributors, the search for suppliers with available fuel is becoming increasingly difficult, and prices are rising.
Pedro Bazlevitz, owner of a station on Avenida Bento Gonçalves in eastern Porto Alegre, is known for offering gasoline at prices below the market average. However, since the restrictions began, the price per liter has increased by more than R$ 1. This morning, common gasoline was selling for R$ 6.78. The station, typically busy, was largely empty.
— The product I am getting in smaller quantities. I used to buy 25,000 (liters) per day, now I am getting a maximum of 10,000. But what is happening is that distributors are taking advantage of this to raise prices. If I can’t get fuel at a competitive price, I’m going to close the station. Since I have to value my work. If I can’t pay my employee, it’s better to close — Bazlevitz lamented.
Much of the fuel supplied to stations originates from the Alberto Pasqualini Refinery (Refap) in Canoas, a subsidiary of Petrobras. The company issued a statement in response to inquiries (see below).
Petrobras Statement
Petrobras clarifies that, since the divestment of BR Distribuidora, completed in July 2021, it no longer operates in the fuel distribution sector.
, under a licensing agreement signed during the divestment process, Vibra Energia was permitted to use the Petrobras and BR brands on its stations, trucks, and official materials. Even if its brand is displayed by Vibra, Petrobras does not currently own any gas stations.
Petrobras’s sale price to distributors is just one of the factors that develop up the final price paid by consumers at the pump. The price at the pump is also influenced by the prices charged by other market players, as well as the cost of mandatory anhydrous ethanol blending into gasoline and biodiesel into diesel, in addition to taxes and distribution and resale costs and margins, over which Petrobras has no control.
More details on the composition of the final fuel price are available in the “Understand how prices are formed” section of the website https://precos.petrobras.com.br/. Additional information on distribution and resale can also be obtained from distribution companies and their representative bodies.
