With Exxon Mobil Corp.’s (XOM) new oil discovery off the coast of Brazil – the latest in a series of such offshore finds and potentially the largest Western Hemisphere discovery in three – the South American nation has taken another giant step in its quest to become a global energy superpower.

Recent Brazilian oil discoveries have lead Brazil’s richest man, Eike Batista, to take his company OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA public in a $3.37bn share offering. This from Bloomberg:

Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista is planning a 5.59 billion real ($3.37 billion) initial public offering of OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA, betting the country’s recent oil finds will lure investors who snubbed 20 IPOs this year.