Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has started first-phase commercial operation of its new natural gas processing unit (UPGN) at the Boaventura energy complex (BEC) in Itaborai as part of the operator’s Route 3 integrated project (PIR3) to expand transportation and processing of associated gas from the country’s offshore Santos basin presalt (OGJ Online UPGN’s Train 1 was processing 10.5 million cu m/day of natural gas from the Santos basin presalt cluster delivered via the new 355-km Route 3 gas pipeline (307 km offshore Train 2 of the Boaventura UPGN is scheduled to begin commercial operation by yearend 2024 bringing the site’s total gas processing capacity to 21 million cu m/day Part of the company’s broader Santos basin integrated gas-flow system designed to increase flows from presalt fields such as Tupi the PIR3’s Boaventura UPGN is equipped to process feedstock it receives from the 18-million cu m/day PIR3 pipeline into at least three derivatives that—in addition to natural gas and LPG for commercial and residential applications—includes C5+ for use as a raw material in both petrochemical and fuel production Focused on increasing supplies to Brazil’s domestic market the PIR3 project—in addition to increasing presalt-flow capacity—brings greater flexibility to Petrobras operations since gas from Santos basin production fields can also be routed to the company's other processing units the company signed more than 34 natural gas-supply contracts that will account for more than 70 billion cu m in sales planned up to 2034 Most recently slated to begin construction and assembly in 2025 Petrobras said these future BEC units will have capacity to produce the following: Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University Petrobras has initiated procedures to start up Brazil’s largest natural gas processing unit (UPGN) situated in Itaboraí in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.  Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) authorized the facility’s industrial operation will receive gas from fields in the presalt Santos Basin Production will be delivered through the subsea Route 3 gas pipeline Petrobras aims to use the Route 3 Integrated Project (PIR3) to step up gas supplies to the Brazilian market The project will enable the flow of up to 18 MMcm/d and processing of up to 21 MMcm/d of gas by UPGN also reducing Brazil’s dependence on imports Final preparations are underway with calibration of processes and equipment Commercial operations should start in the first half of October Felipe Alves Elias / PaleozoobrIllustration of Xenocynus crypticus similar to the present-day big-eared opossumFelipe Alves Elias / Paleozoobr a marsupial of a similar size to a big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita) lived in what is now Itaboraí a municipality in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro researchers from the federal universities of Pernambuco (UFPE) and Uberlândia (UFU) described a new genus and a species of metatherium which they named Xenocynus crypticus (crypticus due to the fact that parts of the skull were left at Rio’s Earth Sciences Museum in the 1960s and were only rediscovered in 2017) Considered large in comparison to other metatherians the animal is estimated to have weighed around 1.5 kilograms It fed on invertebrates and small vertebrates like another marsupial still found in Brazil: the big lutrine opossum (Lutreolina crassicaudata) The Itaboraí sedimentary basin was home to the most diverse metatherium fauna known in the world — to date 43 species of metatherium have been found there the Itaboraí basin was a tropical rainforest similar to the Amazon today,” explains UFPE’s Leonardo Carneiro lead author of the study (Journal of South American Earth Sciences © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved After receiving authorization from the Agência Nacional do Petróleo Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis—or National Agency of Petroleum Natural Gas and Biofuels—for the plant’s industrial operation on Sept Petrobras began the final preparation phase for the UPGN unit the operator said in separate releases Sept While gas supplies will not be available to the market during this final phase of work involving calibration of processes and equipment Petrobras said it expects begin supplies upon official startup of commercial operations sometime during first-half October Located at what was previously the operator’s former Comperj integrated refining complex that became the Polo GasLub Itaboraí hub the new two-train UPGN—equipped with a total processing capacity of 21 million cu m/day—will receive its feedstock of up to 18 million cu m/day of natural gas from the Santos basin presalt cluster via the new 355-km gas pipeline (307 km offshore With more than 600 professionals consisting of employees and contractors directly involved in the operation and operational support of the gas pipeline and UPGN—Brazil’s largest gas processing installation—Petrobras said the combined PIR3 project forms part of the company’s goal of increasing cleaner energy supplies to the Brazilian market in line with a low-carbon future while simultaneously commercializing—and monetizing—associated gas production from the presalt cluster to reduce the country’s dependence on imports Petrobras confirmed it continues to develop other projects within the BEC including two gas-fired thermoelectric plants to enable participation in auctions planned for the electricity sector as well as units for producing low-sulfur fuels and API Group II/II+ lubricating base oils based on feedstock of intermediate products delivered via pipeline from the operator’s nearby 239,000-b/d Duque de Caxias (REDUC) refinery in the Baixada Fluminense area of Rio de Janeiro Renamed this year to honor the ruins of the São Boaventura convent Petrobras preserved inside the industrial complex the BEC will only use reused industrial water for its processing activities contributing to improved sanitation for surrounding communities and reduced discharge into Guanabara Bay according to an update on the operator’s website per the agreement with Águas do Rio the REDUC and now-BEC operations will produce at least 28.908 million cu m/year of reused water Petrobras and Águas do Rio signed a memorandum of understanding to negotiate agreements for the complex to receive Águas do Rio also agreed to advance its investment commitments in the São Gonçalo sewage treatment plant to directly benefit the parties’ shared goal of decontaminating Guanabara Bay the partners signed a contract to formalize Águas do Rio’s commitment to collect and supply 3,300 cu m/hr of water to the refinery and other industrial units served by the same system via pipelines owned by Petrobras That same contract also formalized the parties' intention for Águas do Rio to begin supplying reused water to REDUC starting in 2024 Petrobras said that once those deliveries began REDUC would only use reused water in its processing activities to eliminate its previous collection of water from the Guandu and Saracuruna river systems The water-reuse projects align with Petrobras’s commitment to reduce the volume of freshwater collected in its operations by up to 40% (60 million cu m/yr) by 2030.  Petrobras is developing the Itaborai natural gas processing plant within its Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (Comperj) in Itaboraí Petrobras is developing a new natural gas processing plant within the site of its Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (Comperj) in Itaboraí is part of the Rota 3 or Route 3 pipeline project and will be the largest of its type in the country the plant will process the gas produced by Petrobras’ natural gas fields located in the pre-salt region of the Santos Basin offshore Brazil It will have a processing capacity of approximately 21 million cubic metres per day (Mm³/d) The project was announced in March 2018 and construction was commenced in April the same year It is expected to commence operations in 2021 and generate 2,000 jobs during the construction period The UPGN project is being developed within Petrobras’ Comperj refinery complex which was the single biggest investment made by the company The refinery construction was first scheduled to be completed in 2013 but delayed before being halted in 2015 due to corruption allegations Petrobras has already invested approximately $14bn in the refinery and is currently investigating the possibility of developing a thermoelectric power plant at the site It is also conducting feasibility studies for the completion of the refinery and is exploring options to meanwhile utilise the developed infrastructure for other projects The Itaborai natural gas processing plant will be equipped with two processing trains It will feature a customised e-house electrical solution which will be the largest in Latin America The e-house will be a modular outdoor enclosure covering an area of 800m² The solution will connect all the electrical equipment involved in providing power The processing plant will increase Petrobras’ gas processing capacity from 23Mm³/d to 44Mm³/d The increased processing capacity is essential to handle the increasing gas production from Petrobras’ gas fields in the pre-salt region The project will also reduce the need for natural gas imports by the Brazilian Government The Rota 3 gas pipeline is a 355km-long pipeline being developed by Petrobras to carry the gas produced by the gas fields located in the pre-salt region to the UPGN plant The pipeline includes a 307km-long offshore section and a 48km-long onshore section Construction of the offshore section comprising three subsea segments has been completed while work on the onshore section is ongoing A special-purpose entity (SPE) named Kerui Metodo Construção e Montagem was awarded the contract for the construction of the processing plant an engineering and construction company based in China GE Power was contracted to supply its e-house electrical solution for the project in November 2018 ATD Group carried out the technical feasibility studies for the project Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Bringing lots of fun for visitors of Shopping Plaza Itaborai in Rio de Janeiro the entertainment is guaranteed for the whole family the Bowling Café Alleys are an unique product developed by Imply with official size balls and pins and compact length The Magic Games bowling operates self-service through tokens Besides having this complete entertainment space also offers the public more than 150 shops movie theaters and numerous choices of restaurants and eateries Bowling is a proven attraction worldwide! 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Learn more: https://imply.com/engb/bowling-and-entertainment/ 1.111 - RST 287 Km 105 | Santa Cruz do Sul | RS - Brazil imply@imply.com (+55) 51 2106-8000 restaurant where they can have lunch for about 30 cents The Petrobras refinery and processing plant on the outskirts of town has been shut down; tens of thousands are now out of work in the area I meet Joao Jesus outside the local labor tribunal in the Brazilian town of Itaborai "This morning I wasn't able to give my kids breakfast," he says in a way that suggests he can hardly believe it himself Financial crises often get spoken about in the nameless faceless lingo of "world market downturns" or "changing patterns of consumption" — but the crisis engulfing Brazil and its state oil company three dozen senior executives and 47 politicians either have been indicted or are under investigation for organized corruption on an epic scale some of Brazil's biggest construction companies would overcharge Petrobras then funnel the extra money into the coffers of these politicians and executives Investigations have found one executive accepted bribes to the tune of $100 million Among the main beneficiaries was President Dilma Rousseff's Workers Party, the PT. The head of the senate and the lower house of congress are also under investigation along with half of the congressional ethics committee the corruption at Petrobras has affected lives: It has meant that Jesus' two daughters I never thought I'd have to go through something like this," he says Jesus moved here from his home state of Bahia to work for one of the companies contracted by Petrobras and the company he works for was doing good business he and 3,000 other employees of the contractor all stand in line to meet with company representatives and have them sign their work cards They'll need the signatures in order to collect unemployment benefits The company hasn't paid its workers since December all of the men here are being formally laid off — among the 20,000 in the area who have lost their jobs in the past few months The court has ordered the contractor to give its workers back pay and compensation The catch is that the company is locked in a battle with Petrobras because it says the state oil giant owes it more than $313 million Joao Jesus tells me he isn't on the street yet because his landlord has agreed to let him live rent-free — for now He says he's waiting for his money so that he can go back to his home state and start over There were a lot of big dreams in Itaborai in the boom years — companies and people relocated here after a cluster of Petrobras refineries started being built nearby Walking down the main drag of Itaborai is a study in contrasts mom-and-pop shops and auto mechanics in small ramshackle buildings there are a series of tall gleaming buildings They are completely new — and almost completely empty says he invested his life savings in buying apartments and offices in some of the new buildings hoping to ensure himself a comfortable retirement He says he's spent his life getting up at dawn missing his children's childhood so he could provide for them All that work — all those sacrifices — have been squandered by other people's greed "Petrobras is the engine of the whole country This has stalled the growth of the whole country." New unemployment figures in Brazil show it creeping up after years of record lows and smaller businesses in Itaborai are closing now owner Marcos Paulo da Silva stands among scratched bunk beds and closets that line the road He owned several motels that catered to the workers who sits on a bed March 19 at the Workers Inn in Itaborai where he has been offered a place to stay for free The crisis at the Brazilian state energy giant Petrobras has directly hit the region's economy with sales falling by 80 percent and unemployment surging dramatically He's letting a few unemployed workers live rent-free in some of the rooms until they can find somewhere to move on to "I will have to start from scratch — but my head is upright as the mistake didn't come from my mismanagement With this great disappointment with Petrobras Fabio Luiz Mendoza de Souza stands in a group of other laid-off workers he had believed the hype that Brazil had changed "Now I think all that time when Brazil was booming under the Worker's Party a lie — and we are seeing the truth now," he says "We have politicians who only think of themselves Become an NPR sponsor 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English Petrobras has begun start-up procedures for Brazil’s largest natural gas processing unit The company has received authorization for industrial operations from Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum The facility will process gas from the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin transported via the new Route 3 gas pipeline which has said it wants to increase natural gas supply to the Brazilian market the UPGN is undergoing process and equipment calibration and commercial operations are expected to commence in early October The project will enable the flow of up to 635 MMscf/d (18 x 106 m3/d) and processing of up to 742 MMscf/d (21 x 106 m3/d) of gas Future plans for the complex include two gas-fired thermoelectric plants and additional refining units for fuels and lubricants the facility will have production capacities of 12,000 barrels/day for Group II lubricating oils and 20,000 barrels/day for aviation kerosene operating in synergy with the Duque de Caxias Refinery Toyo Setal will conclude construction of the UPGN which halted in midyear-2022 following the previous main contractor’s inability to complete the project Award of the contract follows Petrobras’ launch of a tender in September 2022 seeking a replacement contractor to complete the remaining scope of work on the Route 3 UPGN called for the winning bidder to deliver civil construction as well as assisted operation of lingering works for both gas processing units of the GasLub Itaboraí complex’s Route 3 gas plant including supply of materials and equipment With the newly awarded contract to Toyo Setal Petrobras said it expects start of gas processing operations in the GasLub Itaboraí to begin in 2024 in accordance with the operator’s 2023-27 strategic plan Other units required to start these operations—including auxiliary units as well as subsea and onshore pipelines—have already completed construction and are in their final commissioning or preoperational phases Alongside the new Route 3 UPGN—which will consist of two 10.5-million cu m/day processing trains—the Route 3 project includes a 355-km gas pipeline (307 km offshore 48 km onshore) that will deliver about 18 million cu m/day of natural gas from the Santos basin presalt cluster to the UPGN at GasLub Itaboraí By providing an outlet for associated gas from the Santos basin presalt area Petrobras said it expects completion of the Route 3 project also will enable increased production of crude oil from the presalt offshore fields Before the halt to construction activities for the Route 3 UPGN a series of major works on the new gas plant and associated pipeline system had already been completed In a series of Petrobras Informas regional updates issued between October 2019 and February 2022 the company confirmed concluding the following construction-related activities on the Route 3 UPGN and gas pipeline: following initial work stoppage at the site Petrobras began preliminary operational tests at GasLub Itaboraí with reception of unprocessed gas (rich gas) volumes from the Cabiúnas terminal via the Guapimirim-Comperj I (Gaserj) gas pipeline the operator said in a mid-February 2022 release The gas enabled startup of GasLub Itaboraí’s utility systems—mainly the steam generation and distribution unit—to guarantee operation of installations and equipment necessary for full startup of the new UPGN substations responsible for energy distribution—including electricity—an integrated control center and the flare system also were already operating Petrobras—which completed installation of the deepwater sections of the Route 3 pipeline in 2019 and shallow-water and onshore sections in early 2022—began partial operation of the pipeline’s ultradeep and deep maritime sections in June 2022 with an undisclosed volume of pre-salt natural gas deliveries from the P-77 platform in Santos basin presalt layer’s Búzios field natural gas flows through the operable Route 3 portion of the line were directed via an interconnection to the Route 2 gas pipeline for delivery to the 24.6-million cu m/day Cabiúnas gas processing plant in Macaé Petrobras previously said it also was continuing to evaluate integration of some units at GasLub Itaboraí with its 239,000-b/d Duque de Caxias (REDUC) refinery in the Baixada Fluminense area of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state for production of basic lubricants and fuels from intermediate products delivered via pipeline from the refinery to the Itaboraí gas hub Petrobras says operations have started with the first module of the Natural Gas Processing Unit (NGPU) at the Boaventura Energy Complex in Itaboraí The module is designed to process 10.5 MMcm/d with capacity set to double around year-end once the second module becomes operational Boaventura’s NGPU will help increase gas supplies to Brazil’s domestic market reducing the country’s dependence on imports Production includes supplies through the Rota 3 gas pipeline part of the Santos Basin’s Integrated Gas Flow System delivered from deepwater fields including Tupi “The Rota 3 Integrated Project not only increases flow capacity but also makes our activities more flexible…," according to Renata Baruzzi the gas from the production fields in the Santos Basin can flow to the company’s many processing units Petrobras entered into more than 34 natural gas supply contracts after winning public bids by distributors and competitive free consumer processes involving volumes of more than 70 Bcm through 2034 CLG will license its proprietary Isodewaxing and Isofinishing technologies for a new 12,580-b/d hydroisodewaxing (HIDW) unit that—once completed— will produce a wide-viscosity range of premium API Group II/II+ lubricating base oil grades for the first time in both Brazil and South America CLG said its scope of delivery on the project also includes basic design engineering and research unit testing services Addition of the HIDW unit at GasLub Itaboraí will help to minimize Brazil’s existing dependence on imported base oils as part of Petrobras' broader strategy to domestically produce higher-quality products to better serve the regional market This latest contract for GasLub Itaboraí project follows Petrobras’ recent award to TS Participações e Investimentos SA subsidiary Toyo Setal Empreendimentos Ltda. for completion of the Route 3 natural gas processing unit (UPGN) (OGJ Online, Mar. 27, 2023) While details regarding official startup of the HIDW have yet to be disclosed Petrobras said it expects start of gas processing operations in the GasLub Itaboraí to begin in 2024 in accordance with the operator’s 2023-27 strategic plan Alongside the new Route 3 UPGN—which will consist of two 10.5-million cu m/day processing trains—the Route 3 project includes a 355-km gas pipeline (307 km offshore, 48 km onshore) that will deliver about 18 million cu m/day of natural gas from the Santos basin presalt cluster to the UPGN at GasLub Itaboraí. Petrobras previously confirmed it was evaluating integration of some units at GasLub Itaboraí with its 239,000-b/d Duque de Caxias (REDUC) refinery in the Baixada Fluminense area of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state for production of basic lubricants and fuels from intermediate products delivered via pipeline from the refinery to the Itaboraí gas hub. Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast, West Coast, Canadian, and Latin American markets. He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University. In late-March 2018, Petrobras let a $600-million contract to a consortium of Shandong Kerui Petroleum Equipment Co. Ltd. (SPE Kerui) of China and Método Potencial Engenharia SA (Método), Sao Paulo, to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) on the Route 3 UPGN that will process 21 million-cu m/day of natural gas from presalt fields in Brazil’s Santos basin (OGJ Online, Mar. 28, 2018). In mid-July 2022, Petrobras informed investors that—despite the operator’s fulfillment of all commitments under its contract with SPE Kerui-Método—the consortium unilaterally decided to demobilize its workforce assigned to Route 3 UPGN. As of July 11, work to complete the project halted, with only activities to preserve existing equipment and installations at the site ongoing. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world The town of Itaboraí on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro went on sale early last year in the bars and newspaper kiosks of Itaboraí a crumbling former oil town on Rio de Janeiro’s outskirts Gift quickly cornered the market in contraband tobacco in the sweltering city that Its dominance wasn’t because of the Paraguayan product’s quality it marked the arrival of a murderous militia that forced vendors to sell it and a violent paramilitary group is picking over the economy’s bones Brazil (AP) — Strolling down the main shopping drag in this working-class Rio de Janeiro suburb it's not the second-skin dresses in shocking pink spandex that catch the eye or even the strapless tops with strategically placed peekaboo paneling The newest look can instead be found in stores like Silca Evangelical Fashion long-sleeved frocks with how-low-can-you-go hemlines and the polyester putty-colored potato sack dresses In the birthplace of the “fio dental” or dental floss string bikini so-called evangelical fashion has emerged as a growing segment of the country's $52 billion-a-year textile industry catering to the conservative sartorial needs of Brazil's burgeoning numbers of born-again Pentecostals Once so difficult to procure that evangelical women tended to make much of their own clothes themselves the modest garb is now popping up all over Brazil On the tiny high street of Rio suburb Itaborai not one but two evangelical clothing stores compete to dress the faithful M&A Fashion got its start two decades ago as a conventional clothing shop tight styles favored in this tropical country but shifted to evangelical offerings five years ago “It used to be that the word 'evangelical' had a tacky connotation,” said M&A manager Marcelo Batista who converted from Catholicism a decade ago “Evangelical women now wear this clothing proudly,” he said long A-line denim skirts and ribbed sweaters that in the 100-plus degree heat were enough to make you sweat just by looking at them Introduced in the mid-19th century by American missionaries Brazil's neo-Pentecostal churches were long regarded as fringe groups particularly among the poor and disenfranchised has produced a dramatic spike in the community's numbers in recent decades and eaten away at Brazil's status as the world's largest Catholic country evangelicals represented just over 6 percent of the population according to the country's IBGE statistics agency or 22 percent of the country's 190 million Some statisticians predict that if current trends hold evangelical Christians could become the majority here by 2030 With the spiraling numbers have come increased visibility and political and economic strength Three senators and 63 congressional representatives belong to evangelical churches and a candidate with links to the Universal Church has a considerable lead in polls ahead of next month's mayoral race in Sao Paulo The Universal Church also owns one of Brazil's main television networks Brazil's evangelicals are far from a unified block Today hosts of homegrown Pentecostal denominations have their own dress codes Evangelical men are also expected to dress modestly in long-sleeved shirts and slacks that are more readily available in regular stores Women in some congregations wear the archetypal Brazilian outfit donning demure skirts and shoulder-covering tops only for services women are expected to cover up at all times and don't even remove their form-concealing robes at the beach Pastor Marcos Pereira of the conservative Assembly of God of the Latter Days said his church's strict dress code had its foundations in scripture The church forbids women from wearing pants as well as red and black fabrics and encourages the use of robes “The Bible orders women to wear this kind of clothing It says women's bodies are not meant to be on display for everyone adding that adhering to the church's dress code “is a way for women to be in communion with God.” Sao Paulo-based label Joyaly makes clothes aimed at moderate evangelicals who generally cover shoulders and knees and shun women's pants altogether the label is among the oldest and priciest of the evangelical labels its garments widely considered the creme de la creme of the sector Its best-selling below-the-knee denim skirts the staple piece in most evangelical women's closets while the dresses run for about $75 to $100 The label doesn't make anything transparent Commercial director Alison Flores said the brand was born of his mother's constant struggle to find clothes that met the family church's modesty guidelines “Because she has a real entrepreneurial spirit she decided to regard this problem as a business opportunity,” he said “She started making things for the ladies at church and then through word of mouth People would come from all over to the really out-of-the-way neighborhood we lived in then “There was so much pent-up demand because until then practically no one was attending to this public,” Flores said the family-run company set up shop in Sao Paulo's Bras garment district as the sole evangelical label do a double-take and say 'What's that all about?'” he said Now Bras is chock-a-block with evangelical brands a 10-year-old family-run label that was born again five years ago “We sort of stumbled into it by accident after we made a few more sober conservative pieces,” said director Fabricio Pais we decided to radically change our product to cater to evangelical consumers.” the label has seen its profits climb by around 30 percent annually The association representing Brazil's textile sector doesn't keep statistics on growth in niche sectors but one of the group's recent publications emphasized that evangelical fashion was “in real expansion.” The tables have turned so completely that now evangelical specialty clothing lines attract scads of nonbelievers estimates that about 40 percent of the store's clients are not evangelicals “It's so hard in regular stores to find clothes that aren't too short or don't show a lot of cleavage that women who aren't comfortable with showing a lot of skin for whatever reason shop here too,” he said Fernandes converted to an evangelical church two years ago Dressed in cutoff shorts and a white tank top with spaghetti straps permitted by her congregation for day-to-day wear Fernandes said it took her a while to get used to the modest garments required for services and the pastor called me out on it,” said the 25-year-old manicurist and mother of a 7-year-old daughter but now I see how what you wear affects other people not to mention your own sense of self-worth.” 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region. Analysis, reports, news and interviews about your industry in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Brazil (Reuters) - For the 20 men hanging on at the Pousada do Trabalhador a 600-bed boarding house on the dusty outskirts of this boom town northeast of Rio de Janeiro the dream that Brazil's oil wealth would bring a better life was over.Their jobs at Comperj a $15-billion oil refinery being built here in Itaboraí by state-run energy giant Petrobras and their employer - a mid-sized engineering company - bankrupt.The men are the latest victims of Brazil's biggest-ever corruption scandal a multi-billion dollar graft scheme involving Petrobras engineering companies and politicians that is battering the world's seventh-largest economy.As the scandal has deepened in recent months key infrastructure projects have been suspended or scrapped some suppliers have sought bankruptcy protection and job losses are mounting by the tens of thousands.Petrobras' size - it is Brazil's biggest company - amplifies the scandal Each year it invests double the government's entire discretionary infrastructure budget giving it enormous power to shape Latin America's largest economy.All told economists expect the chain reaction set off by the scandal will tip an already weak economy into its worst recession in a quarter century a harsh reversal for a country that was booming just a few years ago."Our employer went bankrupt an equipment operator from São Paulo told Reuters as he prepared to leave the boarding house earlier this month."I took leave for Christmas and New Year there's no work."He and the other men moved out the next day and the boarding house closed.There are tens of thousands like Morão dependent on Petrobras' more than $40 billion of annual capital spending Most job losses have come since November as police and prosecutors backed by guilty pleas from key conspirators bribery and political kickbacks.FALLOUTFormally known as Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras accounts for more than 10 percent of Brazil's investment 87 percent of oil output and all domestic fuel production Its annual revenue equals about 8 percent of gross domestic product.Two refineries worth a combined $30 billion have been canceled a $1.3 billion fertilizer plant and dozens of production and drilling ships each costing hundreds of millions of dollars are in limbo."Brazil is paying a huge price for depending so much on Petrobras," said Lucia Salgado an economics professor at Rio de Janeiro State University She expects the scandal to shave up to 1.5 percentage points from GDP this year.The damage spread quickly after the scandal prompted Petrobras to put 23 suppliers including some of Brazil's largest construction firms on a payment blacklist.Five of the companies - OAS Engenharia Morão's former employer - have filed for bankruptcy protection since November slowing projects like Comperj and halting the building of new production ships.More bankruptcy petitions are possible.Even if work returns Petrobras plans to cut 2015 investment by as much as third.The impact is also being felt beyond the oil industry The 23 implicated firms are among Brazil's most ubiquitous building everything from ports and highways to stadiums and other facilities for the 2016 Rio Olympics.Cooperating witnesses say politicians and political parties received kickbacks on inflated contracts from other state-run companies such as utility Eletrobras That has raised concerns the probe will delay completion of Amazon hydro dams and transmission lines needed to stave off electricity shortages.President Dilma Rousseff is also suffering The scandal will delay oil and natural gas output and the royalties she has pledged to pay for schools and health care It has damaged her reputation as a manager because she was chairwoman of the Petrobras board when much of the graft took place.Rousseff denies wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.But dozens of politicians nearly all from Rousseff's Workers' Party and its allies in Congress are under investigation for their alleged role in the scheme complicating the passage of legislation aimed at curbing inflation and kick-starting the economy.BOOM TOWN BUSTIn Itaboraí many feel they were duped."Comperj was supposed to be Eldorado People came from all over Brazil," said Reinaldo Souza "Optimism about the future has been replaced by anger over corruption."The city government says there were 17,000 workers at Comperj in December and less than 3,000 now stores and high-rise apartments stand empty.Nationally Brazil shed payrolls for a third straight month in February bringing job losses over the last year to 47,228."The scandal couldn't have come at a worse time," said Alexandre Fernandes a city northeast of Itaboraí where Petrobras has its biggest offshore oil base.Before the scandal Petrobras was already cutting back because new output had lagged spending for a decade.Then oil prices fell to six-year lows the world's largest oil-services company many in Macaé.Brazil's government is so concerned that it is rushing to sign "leniency accords" with the banned companies.If they admit guilt the ban on receiving money from Petrobras and the federal government will end no matter the outcome of criminal and civil suits."We have about four months to get these deals done or face a nationwide infrastructure-construction blackout," said Delcídio Amaral "You can't just restart this all from scratch."Smaller businesses are unlikely to get such help.Marco Paulo Pires said Itaboraí's economy was "torn apart" by the scandal."I worked a lot for Petrobras," Pires said as he sold the hostel's furniture on the sidewalk after it closed down "Now I have to start over from zero."Additional reporting by Thales Carneiro and Ricardo Moraes; Editing by Todd Benson and Kieran Murray Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Brazilian atomweight Janaina Soares lost her professional mixed martial arts debut recently in Itaborai and a photo of her face went viral online days later who had previous experience in muay thai before making the transition to MMA took on Vanessa Goncalves at Favela Kombat 30 in a 105-pound fight and doctors called the end of the fight between rounds two and three ruling Soares unfit to return to the final five minutes So of all the hematoma’s ive seen in combat sports, this is probably number one! Vanessa Gonçalves def. Janaina Soares by TKO (doctor stoppage)! pic.twitter.com/Ezo10qklW9 told MMA Fighting that the debuting fighter suffered no serious injury in defeat and she suffered no injury in the skull,” Chagas said Soares is not planning a long break between fights despite the tough loss as she’s booked to return to action on Oct facing Julie Mezabarba at Rio de Janeiro’s NCE 31