Roberto Castelo Branco criticized monopoly in the sector

Agência Brasil – Boosting competitiveness in Brazil’s oil sector could benefit consumers. The statement was made by the new CEO of Brazilian state-run oil giant Petrobras, Roberto Castelo Branco, who took office Thursday (Jan. 3) at the company’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

“Petrobras will continue its international equivalence [pricing policy], with no subsidies and no exploration of power of monopoly. We are lovers of competitiveness, and we loathe solitude in the markets. We want companies, we want to compete,” he said.

The priority, he said, is to make oil output grow in Brazil, “which is really rich in natural resources, and has a huge potential to explore, especially for mining and oil.”

The firm leader also noted that there will be hard work aimed at the production of natural gas, a resource used more and more by a several countries.

“I’m very optimistic concerning natural gas, whose production in Brazil tends to increase significantly and have new applications. China, for instance, has started to use liquefied petroleum gas to fuel its trucks. Today, there are over 200 thousand trucks fueled by natural gas—which is cheaper and cleaner energy, and, in the case of Brazil, will serve the interest of truck drivers and the freight industry,” Castelo Branco declared.