Nielmar de Oliveira
Repórter da Agência Brasil

Rio – Petrobras's director of Supply and Refining, Paulo Roberto Costa, had some good news yesterday. For the first time in its history the state-controlled company will have a trade surplus. And the surplus forecast for 2006 is a respectable US$3 billion.

Costa reports that this year Brazil will become self-sufficient in petroleum, largely thanks to the arrival of a new platform, the P-50, which began operating last month. As a result, average daily production will rise from 1.7 million barrels (the 2005 average) to 1.9 million barrels (by the end of 2006).

Petrobras will also bring another platform into operation, the P-34, before the end of the year. It has plans for 12 more production units to be operational by 2010. It is estimated that average daily production will reach 2.3 million barrels by then.

Translation: Allen Bennett