Venezuela Judge Convicts Citgo-6, Orders Prison
(AP, 27.Nov.2020) — Six American oil executives held for three years in Venezuela were found guilty of corruption charges by a judge Thursday and immediately sentenced to prison, dashing hopes...
Venezuela Briefs: Exchange Rate; PDVSA Isn’t Bankrupt
(Energy Analytics Institute, 25.Nov.2020) — Foreign exchange rate and energy related briefs from OPEC oil producer Venezuela related to the rising Bolivar currency as well as comments from President Nicolas...
Heard Venezuela: Falcon Oil Spill, Los Roques Buildout
(Energy Analytics Institute, 25.Nov.2020) — Heard on the street from Venezuela related to a supposed oil spill in Morrocoy National Park as well as word of commercial developments in Los...
Venezuelan Union Leader Girot Detained
(Reuters, 19.Nov.2020) — Venezuelan authorities arrested oil workers' union leader Eudis Girot, other union officials said on Thursday, as the government's crackdown on dissent at troubled state oil company Petroleos...
Chevron Eyes Biden To Preserve Venezuela Foothold
(Bloomberg, 18.Nov.2020) — Chevron’s willingness to keep a foothold in oil-rich Venezuela will now be a thorny political issue for President-elect Joe Biden to sort out. The U.S. Treasury Department...
Venezuela Supports Three Month Opec Extension
(Energy Analytics Institute, 17.Nov.2020) — Opec producer Venezuela continues to support a three month extension of production levels of 7.7 million barrels per day. “Venezuela ratifies its commitment to continue...
Slew Of Tankers Head Toward Venezuela
(Reuters, 11.Nov.2020) — At least 18 oil tankers are expected to load oil for export from Venezuela in the coming weeks, according to tracking data and internal documents from state-run...
Venezuela Oil Exports Between 1999-2019
(Energy Analytics Institute, 10.Nov.2020) — Venezuela, home to the largest crude oil reserves and sizeable natural gas reserves, reported total oil exports of $984.9bn between 1999 and the first quarter...
60 Vehicles Dispatched To Paraguana Refining Complex
(Energy Analytics Institute, 9.Nov.2020) — Venezuela’s state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) dispatched 60 vehicles to the Paraguaná Refining Center (CRP by its Spanish acronym), located in the state...
Venezuela Briefs: Black Mkt Gasoline; Diesel Demand
Energy briefs from Venezuela on prices for black market gasoline reaching $11.36/gal and refineries owned by PDVSA only producing enough diesel to cover 25% of domestic demand.
Does Venezuela Need A New Hydrocarbon Law? Webinar
(Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Nov.2020) — Does Venezuela need a new organic hydrocarbons law? That’s the question to be addressed on 5 November 2020 by four Venezuelan oil sector officials in...
Case Against Venezuela’s Oil Minister Hits Another Snag
(AP, 3.Nov.2020) — The prosecution of Venezuela’s Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami for violating U.S. sanctions has run into another snag after a federal judge allowed one of his co-defendants...
Venezuela Oil Exports Fall to New Lows
(Reuters, 2.Nov.2020) — Venezuela’s oil exports fell to a historic low of 359,000 barrels per day (bpd) in October as most of state-run PDVSA’s long-term clients paused trade to meet...
Maduro Condemns Amuay Attack, Blames Duque
(Energy Analytics Institute, 29.Oct.2020) — Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro Moros says the Amuay refinery in Punto Fijo in Falcón state was attacked by terrorist groups with backing from Colombia. “What...
Maduro Says Amuay Hit By ‘Terrorist Tttack’
(Reuters, 28.Oct.2020) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday said the country’s Amuay oil refinery was victim of a terrorist attack on Tuesday that involved a “powerful weapon”, but said...
Venezuela Eyes Oil Output Of 1.829 MMb/d in 2021
(Energy Analytics Institute, 24.Oct.2020) — Venezuela’s oil minister Tareck El Aissami and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) head Asdrúbal Chávez revealed plans to achieve a production goal of 1,829,000 barrels per...
Sign of Venezuela’s Oil Collapse Is Storage Surge
(Bloomberg, 23.Oct.2020) — Venezuelan crude inventories have surged 84% over the last three weeks as the threat of U.S. sanctions ward away buyers of the nation’s most important commodity. That...
Venezuela Briefs: LPG Shortage, Eni On Nabarima
(Energy Analytics Institute, 23.Oct.2020) — Energy briefs from Venezuela regarding ongoing shortages of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and Italy’s Eni submitting a proposal regarding the offloading of FSO Nabarima. Heard...
Trinidad Briefs: Nabarima Stable, Budget Prices
(Energy Analytics Institute, 23.Oct.2020) — Energy briefs from Trinidad and Tobago related to an update on the status of the FSO Nabarima offshore Venezuela in the Gulf of Paria and...
PDVSA’s Cardon Refinery Halts Operations
(Energy Analytics Institute, 20.Oct.2020) — Petróleos de Venezuela’s Cardon refinery in Punto Fijo has once again halted operations. The stoppage impacts the recently restarted production of gasoline. “Refinery conditions are...
Nabarima: Potential Oil Spill Larger Than Exxon-Valdez
(350.org, 20.Oct.2020) — While a record deluge of intensifying hurricanes hit the Caribbean and Gulf, many of the same communities are at risk of a slow-motion multi-million-gallon oil spill in...
Venezuela Needs To Rethink Oil: Luis Xavier Grisanti Says
(Energy Analytics Institute, 19.Oct.2020) — Faced with globalization and the scientific and technological revolution of the last quarter of a century, countries highly dependent on oil as the main source...
US Embassy In Trinidad Concerned About Nabarima
(Energy Analytics Institute, 16.Oct.2020) — The US Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago expressed continued concerns about the potential risk to safety and environment posed by the Venezuelan-flagged vessel, Nabarima. The...
Venezuela Economy To Shrink 25% In 2020: IMF
(Energy Analytics Institute, 13.Oct.2020) — Venezuela, home to the world’s largest oil reserves and sizable natural gas and mineral deposits, is expected to be the worst performing economy in the...
US-Venezuela Dispute Delays Oil Storage Transfer
(Argus, 13.Oct.2020) — Italian Eni's plan to drain a Venezuelan floating oil storage vessel considered a potential environmental risk has been delayed for weeks because of concerns over US sanctions...
Iranian Fuel Supplies Good For Two Months
(Energy Analytics Institute, 12.Oct.2020) — The recent arrival of three Iranian tankers to Venezuela carrying around 750,000 bbls of gasoline is only sufficient to last the South American country about...
Former PDVSA Head Criticizes Anti-Blockade Law
(Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Oct.2020) — The former president of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Rafael Ramírez, criticized Venezuela’s Anti-Blockade Law, which was approved by the country’s National Constituent Assembly. “For more...
Partial Reactivation of PDVSA’s Amuay Refinery
(Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Oct.2020) — Venezuela’s Amuay refinery is processing around 160,000 barrels per day (b/d) after reactivation of two plants, according to an oil union official with the Unitary...
Tipco To Temporarily Shut Kemaman Refinery
(Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Sep.2020) — At the request of the US State Department, Tipco Asphalt plans to temporarily shut down its refinery located in Kemaman, Malaysia. The refinery relies on...
Fuel Shortages Persist Across Venezuela
(Energy Analytics Institute, 10.Oct.2020) — Venezuela continues to suffer from severe shortages of fuel from gasoline to diesel and across the entire country despite the recent arrival of three Iranian...
Iranian Tanker Departs For Persian Gulf From Venezuela
(Reuters, 9.Oct.2020) — An Iranian-flagged oil tanker left Venezuela on Friday for Iran’s Kharg Island, Refinitiv Eikon data showed, after the vessel loaded 1.9 million barrels of heavy crude at...
PetroPiar And Sinovensa Restart Blending Activities
(Energy Analytics Institute, 8.Oct.2020) — Venezuela’s state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) has reportedly restarted the PetroPiar and Sinovensa blending units, according to reports from local Venezuelan media El...
Venezuela, Once An Oil Giant, Reaches The End Of An Era
(NYT, 7.Oct.2020) — Wells that once tapped the world’s largest crude reserves are abandoned or left to flare toxic gases that cast an orange glow over depressed oil towns. Refineries...
Proposed Changes To Venezuela’s Organic Oil Law
(Energy Analytics Institute, 7.Oct.2020) — Venezuela’s National Assembly has submitted proposed changes to the country’s Organic Hydrocarbons Law, which it views as fundamental legislation and extremely important in any recovery...
PdV Pins Gasoline Hopes On CRP Complex
(Argus, 6.Oct.2020) — Venezuelan state-owned PdV is focusing on repairs to its 940,000 b/d CRP refining complex to address a severe gasoline shortage that has been temporarily alleviated by Iranian...
Three Iranian Tankers Make It To Venezuela
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Oct.2020) — The third and final Iranian tanker, part of a three-tanker flotilla, docked in Venezuela over the weekend with much needed gasoline supplies for the struggling...
Venezuela Aims To Reopen Some 1,571 Petrol Stations
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Oct.2020) — Venezuela plans to initiate activities at 1,571 petrol stations across the country starting 5 October 2020 as part of a plan to normalize fuel distribution...
Maduro Drafts Bill To Expand Powers For Oil Deals
(Reuters, 1.Oct.2020) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has drafted legislation to grant his government expanded powers to confidentially sign new oil deals with private firms and foreign nations as a...
Reliance Buys Canadian Oil To Offset Venezuelan Oil
(Reuters, 1.Oct.2020) — Reliance Industries has agreed to purchase 2 million barrels of Canadian heavy crude per month, three industry sources said, as a substitute for dwindling Venezuelan supply. The...
First Iranian Tanker Enters Venezuelan Waters
(Reuters, 28.Sep.2020) — The first of a group of three tankers carrying Iranian fuel for gasoline-starved Venezuela entered the waters of the South American nation on Monday, according to Refinitiv...
US Pressed For Firm Stance In Venezuelan Bond Case
(Law360, 25.Sep.2020) — A New York federal judge on Friday grilled a lawyer representing the U.S. government on whether she should defer to Venezuelan's denunciation of the some $1.68 billion...
US Updates On Iran And Venezuela Designations
(US Department of Treasury, 24.Sep.2020) — The state department updates on Iran-related and Venezuela-related designations in today’s press release. SPECIALLY DESIGNATED NATIONALS LIST UPDATE The following individuals have been added...
Venezuela Producing 345,000 B/D: Oil Official Freites Says
(Energy Analytics Institute, 23.Sep.2020) — Crude oil production in Venezuela, home to arguably the world’s largest oil reserves, has fallen to around 345,000 barrels per day (b/d), according to comments...
US Treasury Updates Venezuela, Iran Designations
(Energy Analytics Institute, 22.Sep.2020) — The US Department of Treasury released details regarding Venezuela-related designations as well as providing a designation update. Treasury also provided an Iran-related designation update. The...
Elliott Abrams Briefing On Iran And Venezuela
(US Department of State, 16.Sep.2020) — Special teleconference briefing with special representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams on developments in Iran and Venezuela. MS ORTAGUS: Thank you so much...
PDVSA Prepares To Boost Oil Blending With Condensates
(Reuters, 15.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA is preparing to recover a portion of the oil output lost in recent months by boosting crude blending operations at its main producing region,...
Venezuela’s PDVSA Looks To Lift Oil Blending
(Reuters, 15.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA is preparing to recover a portion of the oil output lost in recent months by boosting crude blending operations at its main producing region,...
Attack On Venezuela Refineries A Playbook US Regime Change Scenario
(Sputnik, 14.Sep.2020) — In the last two years, Venezuela has thwarted a coup attempt organised by opposition leader Juan Guaido, one attempt to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro, and energy outages...
Venezuela Defies Sanction Tripwires, Imports Oil
(Bloomberg, 13.Sep.2020) — An oil tanker is discharging Iranian condensate for Venezuela as both countries continue to avoid U.S. sanction tripwires. The ship, identified as Honey, turned off its satellite...
Venezuela Tears Apart Oil Pipelines To Sell As Scrap
(Bloomberg, 11.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s capacity to produce some much-needed gasoline and diesel of its own hinges on a single oil play. To tap it, the Nicolas Maduro regime is willing...
Venezuela Captures Suspected US Spy Near CRP
(Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Sep.2020) — Venezuela captured an alleged American spy near its Amuay refinery located in Falcón state. “We have captured an American in Falcón, spying on the Amuay...
Venezuela Oil Collapse Stops Gas Smuggling In Colombia
(Wbur, 9.Sep.2020) — The economic hardship in Venezuela has been a huge burden for neighboring Colombia. Finally, a silver lining: the collapse of Venezuela's oil industry has stopped gas smuggling...
PdV Ad Hoc Chairman Joins Opposition Flight
(Argus, 9.Sep.2020) — The chairman of the Venezuelan opposition's "ad hoc" board of national oil company PdV has joined a flight of exiled technocrats from the ranks of a struggling...
Rafael Ramirez: Venezuela Can Fix Its Own Oil Industry
(Argus, 8.Sep.2020) — Rafael Ramirez served as Venezuela's oil minister from 2002-2013 and concurrent chief executive of state-owned PdV from 2004-2013, a tumultuous period marked by an oil strike and...
What Oil Spill In Venezuela Tells Us About Its Politics
(Javier Corrales, 7.Sep.2020) — The largest oil reserves and one of the world’s most incompetent governments have brought authoritarianism, economic collapse and environmental disaster to the country. It has been...
Iranian Shipments Of Oil To Venezuela
(Dryad Global, 7.Sep.2020) — Reporting from TankerTrackers.com indicates that three Iranian tankers have departed Iran, with a suggested routing to Venezuela, via the Suez Canal. The three vessels in question...
PDVSA Says Nabarima No Threat To Ecosystem
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) says the Nabarima floating crude storage unit located off the country's Gulf of Paria doesn’t “constitute in...
Maduro Assigns Oil Sector Workers Three Special Tasks
(Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced three areas of focus for petroleum sector workers as well as others working directly within the state oil giant Petroleos...
Damaged Venezuelan Oil Tanker Drawing Concern
(AP, 2.Sep.2020) — The sight of a huge oil tanker that has taken on water and is leaning to one side off a remote stretch of Venezuela’s coast has triggered...
PDVSA, Eni Weigh Options To Transfer Idled Oil
(Reuters, 2.Sep.2020) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and Italy's Eni are looking at options to safely offload crude from a floating storage facility on Venezuela's eastern coast that has...
Venezuelan Opposition Politician Backs Elections
(Wall Street Journal, 2.Sep.2020) — A prominent Venezuelan opposition figure on Wednesday said he is supporting congressional elections in December that Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader backed by the U.S.,...
Citgo-6 Surpasses 1,000 Days Of Wrongful Detention
(Energy Analytics Institute, 1.Sep.2020) — More than 1,000 days have passed since Tomeu Vadell, José Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas and José Pereira — known as the...
Venezuela Faces Possibility Oil Output Drops To Zero
(Oilprice.com, 1.Sep.2020) — Venezuela once considered one of Latin America’s prosperous countries has plunged into the abyss. Years of economic mismanagement, cronyism and corruption have sparked a monumental economic collapse...
US’ Abrams Eyes Tighter Sanctions On Venezuela
(Reuters, 31.Aug.2020) — The Trump administration is looking to tighten oil sanctions on Venezuela in the near future, top U.S. envoy for the country told Reuters on Monday, by potentially...
Maduro Pardons Political Prisoners Ahead Of Vote
(Bloomberg, 31.Aug.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro issued a surprise decree pardoning more than 100 of his opponents as a concession ahead of upcoming congressional elections. Former National Assembly Vice...
US Targets Websites Tied To Iran-Venezuela Oil Deal
(Al-Monitor, 31.Aug.2020) — The seizure follows the US interception of fuel tankers from Iran en route to Venezuela this month amid increased US pressure on both countries. The US government...
Harvest Drops Suit Against Ex Venezuela Oil Czar
(AP, 26.Aug.2020) — A Houston energy firm has dropped a lawsuit against Venezuela’s former oil czar, who it had accused of orchestrating demands for a $10 million bribe to approve...
Faulty Heat Exchangers Spill Venezuelan Oil
(Argus, 26.Aug.2020) — An estimated 25,000 bl of oil spilled along western Venezuela's coastline in recent weeks came from faulty heat exchangers at state-owned PdV's El Palito refinery, three officials...
Russia Is Winning The Battle For Venezuela’s Oil
(Oilprice.com, 24.Aug.2020) — In just over a year Venezuela, and the push to oust socialist leader President Nicolas Maduro, has gone from being one of the world’s hottest news headlines...
How Venezuela’s Oil Industry Collapsed: FT.com
(FT.com, 23.Aug.2020) — The country's oil industry was once the envy of the region, but after decades of mismanagement and corruption the sector is facing ruin. The FT's Andean correspondent...
Venezuela Restarts Gasoline Output At Cardon Unit
(Reuters, 23.Aug.2020) — Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, has restarted gasoline output at the 310,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Cardon refinery, according to five people familiar with the matter. The move...
Maduro Thanks Iran For Help Overcoming Sanctions
(Reuters, 23.Aug.2020) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday thanked ally Iran for helping the South American country overcome U.S. sanctions on its oil industry and floated the idea of...
Trump Seeks To Slap More Sanctions On Venezuela
(Oilprice.com, 19.Aug.2020) — The U.S. federal government is considering more sanctions to add to a list aimed at severing the lifeline between the Venezuelan government and oil revenues that, according...
Venezuela Coast Could Take 50 Years To Recover
(Reuters, 19.Aug.2020) — A strip of Venezuela’s western coastline boasting pristine beaches and fragile ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs could take more than half a century to fully recover...
US Eyes October To End Exemptions On Venezuela
(Reuters, 19.Aug.2020) — The United States is considering an October deadline for ending exemptions to Venezuelan sanctions that allow some companies and refiners to still receive the South American producer's...