SAO PAULO, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Brazil’s state-run oil
company Petrobras (PETR4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research) is planning to increase its new
oil and gas output capacity by 23 percent through the end of
2012, Chief Financial Officer Almir Barbassa said on
Wednesday.

But Petrobras, which plans to become the world’s largest
publicly listed oil company by 2020, will be fighting against
the current of slow start-ups, delays, aging fields and
unexpected stoppages that have typically curbed its efforts to
boost output in the past.

SAO PAULO, Oct 26 (Reuters) – U.S. planemaker Boeing Co and its Brazilian counterpart Embraer have
joined forces to map out how best to expand the use of biofuels
for jet engines from renewable sources such as sugar cane.

With the Sao Paulo State Scientific Research Federation
(Fapesp), the two companies signed an agreement on Wednesday to
construct a research center in Brazil that will study the
infrastructure, transport and global marketing of biokerosene
for the industry that has become increasingly sensitive to
public attempts to brand it as an agent of global warming.

REDENCAO, Brazil (Reuters) – Cassio Carvalho do Val is about to invest nearly $2 million to add 10,000 cattle to his ranch on the edge of the Amazon.

But instead of burning down forest for his growing herd to graze freely he will break with tradition, reducing his pastureland and adding grain to their diet.

RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Brazil’s
government will reclaim promising oil exploration blocks won by
companies in a bidding round five years ago but never formally
leased to the winners, the country’s energy minister said.

The long-expected decision to cancel the winning bids comes
after the government put off final signing and approval of the
concessions for years even after it overturned legal challenges
to the 2006 auction where the rights were sold.

RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO (Reuters) – When Brazil discovered huge offshore crude reserves four years ago, state oil company Petrobras sketched out plans to become a regional fuel exporter. That plan has since been turned upside down.

Rapid domestic economic growth and rising fossil fuels use has turned it into a recurrent fuels importer, with occasional gasoline purchases in 2010 evolving into regular imports that may not cease until the end of the decade.

RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO (Reuters) – When Brazil discovered huge offshore crude reserves four years ago, state oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sketched out plans to become a regional fuel exporter.

That plan has since been turned upside down.

Rapid domestic economic growth and rising fossil fuels use has turned it into a recurrent fuels importer, with occasional gasoline purchases in 2010 evolving into regular imports that may not cease until the end of the decade.

SAO PAULO, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Brazil’s state oil company
Petrobras (PETR4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and sugar and ethanol group Sao Martinho
SMT03.SA announced on Wednesday a 520.7-million-real ($328
million) investment that will quadruple ethanol output at their
joint Boa Vista mill.

The expansion of crushing capacity in Brazil’s cane sector
that this investment represents has been a rare occurrence in
the past few years, as bigger mills focus their resources on
buying distressed rivals rather than new projects.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Most people have never heard of the product manufactured by biotechnology company Amyris, but that may actually boost its business by helping it transcend established trade barriers that face other farm-based products such as ethanol.

California-based Amyris produces farnesene, an oily hydrocarbon, from sugar cane in a fermentation process using genetically altered yeast. Its production operations are focused in Brazil, the world’s biggest and cheapest grower of cane.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s main beef industry group said on Friday it would ask the government to challenge European Union trade restrictions on Brazilian beef at the World Trade Organisation, hoping to recover $600 million a year in lost business.

If Brazil’s government pushes ahead with the challenge, as appears likely, it would be the latest sign of trade activism from a country that has already filed in recent years successful WTO complaints against European sugar and U.S. cotton subsidies.

SAO PAULO, July 1 (Reuters) – Brazil’s main beef industry
group said on Friday it will ask the government to challenge
European Union trade restrictions on Brazilian beef at the
World Trade Organization, hoping to recover $600 million a year
in lost business.

If Brazil’s government pushes ahead with the challenge, as
appears likely, it would be the latest sign of trade activism
from a country that has already filed successful WTO complaints
against European sugar and U.S. cotton subsidies in recent
years.