President Dilma Rousseff inaugurated an offshore oil operation Friday in Angra dos Reis bay she said showed Brazil's capacity to develop its own energy resources.
The offshore platform, to be used for deepwater production by the state oil company Petrobras some 120 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast, was built entirely at Brazilian shipyards.
"We have proved that it is possible to build rigs, platforms and equipment" for offshore explorations, she said at the ceremony.
The $1.5 billion unit has 75 percent Brazilian-made components.
Brazilian engineers say the oil reserves in the vast salt-layer region may exceed 50 billion barrels, which would turn the country into one of the world's largest oil producers and exporters.
The depth of the oil find poses big technical challenges and will require enormous investment before the petroleum can be safely extracted.
Source: AFP Global Edition
