São José dos Campos – Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said today (18) that Petrobras investment should make Brazil into an exporter not just of oil, but also of oil products. According to him, the sale of these products to the foreign market will generate income to the company and to the country as a whole.
"We do not want to export just crude oil," said the president. "We want oil products, with greater added value, with more technological investment, so we may make more money."
Lula spoke about the state-owned company’s plans during the opening ceremony of units of Henrique Lage Refinery (Revap) in São José dos Campos (SP). He said that Petrobras has already invested US$ 23 billion in improvement of the refining process to produce fuels with quality compatible with that of the international market.
"Petrobras has been modernising its refineries for 11 years so that we may, when self-sufficient, explore diesel oil," he added.
Lula said that this investment is also beneficial for the country, as the fuel produced by the state-owned company will be less polluting. "When lorries are circulating with diesel oil, there will not be as many particles [of pollution] for us to breathe," added the president.
With the new units, Revap in São José dos Campos, may produce diesel with sulphur concentration of 10 particles per million (ppm). The sale of the fuel with this volume of sulphur will become compulsory in the country in three years.
According to the president, due to this and other investment, Petrobras has become the second largest oil company in the world. Lula said that, during his eight years in office, the state-owned company’s worth rose from US$ 15 billion to US$ 220 billion.
“This company born under disbelief, that many people tried to sell, this company that many people said should not try to seek oil is becoming a reason of pride for each Brazilian," he said.
The president of Brazil also added that he will leave the presidency feeling he has accomplished his target by collaborating with this growth and added that he is happy he managed to establish good relations with several sectors of society.
“I leave the government feeling I created the most important relations a president has ever had with the union movement, with businessmen, with paper collectors, with farm hands, with the whole of the Brazilian society," he said.
*Translated by Mark Ament
