Eric Watkins
Oil Diplomacy Editor

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 -- Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, aboard platform JK P-34, has launched oil extraction from the presalt layer of Jubarte field in the Campos basin off Espirito Santo state.

Petrobras will use the P-34 platform, which has been producing from other undersea wells since December 2006, to produce the first pre-salt crude, estimated at 18,000 b/d at full capacity.

The firm also said that production from the well will provide knowledge that will help it develop the pre-salt reserves in Espirito Santo and in other areas off the Brazilian coast.

"This is the fundamental data that will be used to develop these new areas," said Petrobras E&P director Guilherme Estrella, who added that Jubarte field will accelerate the learning process needed to bring online other large presalt fields such as Tupi.