After three years of struggle, Josu\u00e9 Ribeiro is finally hopeful again.<\/p>\n
He used to have a good job at oil refinery Comperj\u2019s construction site in Itabora\u00ed, Rio de Janeiro. But in 2015, as Brazilian prosecutors untangled a massive corruption scandal involving Petrobras, the state-owned company behind the project, construction ground to a halt. Thousands were fired, including Josu\u00e9.<\/p>\n
In March this year, however, things started to look up.\u00a0Petrobras hired a consortium led by Chinese company Kerui Petroleum<\/a>\u00a0to build a natural gas processing unit at the site. Slowly, workers returned.\u00a0Then, in October, Petrobras signed a contract with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to resume construction<\/a>\u00a0of the refinery. Under the deal, CNPC would control 20% of the new facility.<\/p>\n Though many celebrate the revival of economic activity after years of crisis, not all share the enthusiasm. Environmentalists are concerned about the pollution of air and waterways in\u00a0Guanabara bay<\/a>, an area where contamination threatens the extinction of species such as the dolphin, a symbol on Rio\u2019s state flag. The refinery also raises questions about the long-term benefits to a region already highly dependent on oil.<\/p>\n