Petrobras spent US$958m on imported gasoline in the first quarter of 2012, up 7,715% against the same period in 2011, according to the Brazilian Infrastructure Institute (CBIE) director Adriano Pires. Gasoline imports started to rise in April 2011.  For this reason, there was a big increase in the first quarter of 2012 in comparison with the first quarter on 2011. Petrobras lost US$151.2m in the first quarter of 2012 due to high price of oil in the international market.  Petrobras imports gasoline due to a shortage of refining capacity.

This situation will change when the Abreu & Lima and Comperj refineries start operating, said the Brazilian lawyer Claudio Pinho. Petrobras´ gasoline imports might reach up to 80,000 barrels per day, up 33.3% against 2011. HHHHH High demand for gasoline is driven by an increasing number of motor vehicles and high price of ethanol.