(Rio de Janeiro, December 15, 2008). - PETR�LEO BRASILEIRO S/A - PETROBRAS, [Bovespa: PETR3/PETR4, NYSE: PBR/PBRA, Latibex: XPBR/XPBRA, BCBA: APBR/APBRA], a Brazilian international energy company, announces that its related Special Purpose Company (SPC), Companhia Mexilh�o do Brasil (CMB), has signed with Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) a bridge loan in the amount of R$528 million to finance the end of the construction phase of Mexilh�o 1 Platform (PMXL-1), that can be refinanced by a long term loan after that.
PMXL-1 will be operated by Petrobras and will be installed in the Mexilh�o Field, located in the Santos Basin. The platform will be capable of treating 15 million cubic meters of gas per day and it will be attached to the seabed at a depth of 172 meters from the waterline, at about 145 km off the coast.
The gas produced in Mexilh�o will be offloaded via a 34-inch offshore gas pipeline to the "Monteiro Lobato" Gas Treatment Unit (UTGCA) in Caraguatatuba, Northern Coast of the State of S�o Paulo. Then, it will be transported from the Caraguatatuba-Taubat� Gas Pipeline (Gastau) to the existing pipelines.
The Mexilh�o Project will increase the supply of gas to meet part of the Southeastern Region's demand and will reduce the import needs of natural gas in Brazil. The Mexilh�o Project is part of the Gas Production Anticipation Plan (Plang�s).
Sincerely,
Investor Relations Department
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