Petrobras could get more funding from China: CEO

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The China Development Bank may offer more financing to Petrobras SA (PETR4.SA), adding to the $10 billion, 10-year loan it gave the Brazilian state-run oil company this week, Petrobras Chief Executive Jose Sergio Gabrielli said on Thursday.

"We have discussed with the bank the possibility of another loan, which could be large, denominated in (renminbi)," Gabrielli told a press conference.

On Tuesday, China signed a $10 billion deal with Brazil under which Petrobras will supply 200,000 barrels of oil a day (bpd) to China's state oil company Sinopec for the next 10 years.

Petrobras is already providing Sinopec with around 160,000 bpd, and will boost shipments to 200,000 bpd next year.

China awarded Petrobras a $10 billion loan at an interest rate below that which the company agreed to pay on other loans it secured recently, Gabrielli said. He declined to give further details.

Petrobras Chief Financial Officer Almir Barbassa told reporters the company won't need new financing until 2011.

"We are fully funded, but we're always looking at our options," Barbassa said.

Gabrielli also said world oil prices of $45 a barrel would make it commercially viable for Petrobras to produce oil from Brazil's pre-salt fields, located under several kilometers of sand, rock and salt. U.S. crude futures traded above $61 a barrel on Thursday.

Petrobras is currently able to drill a pre-salt well in the offshore Santos Basin at a cost of $60 million, with completion costs - to enable the well to produce oil and gas - of around $100 million, Gabrielli said.