Gasoline prices often rise and fall with crudeoil prices, and so complex refineries that can process lower priced crude feedstock typically see their margins improve during rising oil prices.
Kloza said much of the expansion would come along the Gulf of Mexico and in the Midwest, an ideal spot to process heavy crude from Canada's emerging oil sand deposits.
Petrobras was forced to import crude and gasoline in the quarter, as its refining capacity allowed it to process 1.886 million barrels of oil per day, while they sold 2.2 million.