Brazil Launches Pertochemical Plant Construction

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday inaugurated the construction of a petrochemical complex in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

"Brazil will be the largest producer of renewable energies on Earth," he said in theprocess of the ceremony.

The plant, to be built by Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras in the city of Itaborai, will start operating in 2012 with an initial capacity to process 150,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

The Brazilian government intends to invest 6.5 billion U.S. dollars in the project. The construction work will create more than 200,000 jobs.

Under the project, Petrobras will also build a training center in the region to provide able workers for the plant.