US Grants License Amendment to Trinidad for Joint Natgas Project with Venezuela

(Reuters, 17.Oct.2023) — The United States has granted an amendment requested by the government of Trinidad and Tobago to a license allowing the joint development of an offshore gas project with Venezuela, the Caribbean country’s Energy Minister Stuart Young said on Tuesday. The amendment would allow payments to Venezuela for any gas supplied […]

Venezuela, Opposition Will Restart Talks, US Could Ease Sanctions

(Reuters, 16.Oct.2023) — Venezuela’s government and the country’s opposition will return to political negotiations, the two sides said on Monday, while sources said the United States has reached a preliminary deal to ease sanctions if President Nicolas Maduro follows through on a commitments related to a 2024 election. Maduro’s representatives […]

US to Ease Sanctions on Venezuelan Oil for Freer Presidential Election

(The Washington Post, 16.Oct.2023) — The Biden administration and the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have agreed to a deal in which the U.S. would ease sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry and the authoritarian state would allow a competitive, internationally monitored presidential election next year, according to two people […]

EAI’s NRGBriefs: Aug. 2023

(Energy Analytics Institute, 31.Aug.2023) — Energy briefs as well as others related to finance and projects during August 2023 including Petrobras commenting on divestment process related to the LUBNOR refinery; Petrobras commenting on Sete Brasil; FMC Corporation on revenues in Latin America in the second quarter 2023; Sempra appointing Richard Mark to […]

Who are Venezuela Creditors Seeking to Seize Citgo?

(Reuters, 19.Jul.2023) — The U.S. on Wednesday approved a three-month extension to a license protecting Citgo Petroleum from creditors seeking to seize the oil refiner’s assets. The document comes as a negotiation team representing Venezuela progresses in talks with bondholders and creditors with arbitration awards from expropriation claims, a move to avoid a breakup […]

Venezuela’s Dictator Maduro is Shameless

(Miami Herald, 16.Jun.2023) — It’s official: The Venezuelan regime will pick a new electoral tribunal to oversee the 2024 presidential elections, and — guess what! — its members will be effectively picked by none other than dictator Nicolás Maduro’s wife.  The dictatorship apparently decided to rig next year’s elections ahead of […]

Power Cuts Hit Venezuela’s West

(Reuters, 7.Jun.2023) — Daily power cuts have returned to west-central Venezuela, shutting air conditioners during a heat wave and hitting factories, households and utilities as poorly maintained thermal plants fail to compensate for weak hydroelectric generation, residents, engineers and analysts said. “It is inhumane that in a city like this they […]

PDVSA Bondholders Dismiss Claims Citgo-backed Notes are Invalid

(Reuters, 6.Jun.2023) — Holders of bonds issued by Venezuelan state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela that are backed by a majority stake in refiner Citgo Petroleum urged New York state’s highest court to reject claims that the bonds are invalid. Lawyers for Venezuela’s opposition, which has controlled PDVSA’s U.S. assets including Citgo since 2019 […]

Citgo Reports First Quarter 2023 Results

(Citgo, 10.May.2023) — Citgo Petroleum Corporation reported its 2023 first quarter financial and operational results. Favorable refining margins and product yields combined with strong asset reliability contributed to first quarter net income of $937mn and EBITDA of $1.4bn, compared with net income of $806mn and EBITDA of $1.2bn for the fourth quarter of 2022. Highlights: […]

EAI’s NRGBriefs: Apr. 2023

(Energy Analytics Institute, 30.Apr.2023) — Energy briefs as well as others related to finance and politics during April 2023 including the US not blocking the court-ordered sale of shares of Citgo Petroleum Corp.’s parent company, PDV Holding, to pay off creditors who have sought payment from the Venezuelan state; OFAC authorizing […]

NatGas in Transition to Low-Carbon Economies [PDF Download]

(IGU, OLADE, ARPEL, 17.Apr.2023) — The world needs to transition to low-carbon economies to reduce global warming while continuing to promote sustainable socioeconomic development for a growing global population. Achieving this massive goal requires a radical transformation in how energy is supplied and used worldwide, as 73% of global greenhouse […]

Venezuela Opposition Envoy Urges Biden to Ease Oil Sanctions

(AP, 3.Apr.2023) — The new representative of Venezuela’s opposition in the U.S. is urging the Biden administration to relax crippling oil sanctions on Nicolas Maduro’s government or risk seeing the socialist-run country turn into another Cuba with Washington scapegoated for increasing authoritarianism and economic hardships. Fernando Blasi’s comments to The […]

Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report [PDF Download]

(The World Bank, 31.Mar.2023) — After a decade of little progress, global gas flaring volumes fell by around 3% in 2022. However, despite this welcome reduction, greater and sustained efforts are needed to end this wasteful and polluting practice. The growing sense of urgency in tackling global gas flaring is […]

Citgo Reports 4Q:22 and YE:22 Results

(Citgo, 9.Mar.2023) Citgo Petroleum Corporation today reported its 2022 fourth quarter and year-end financial results. Highlights: Fourth quarter net income of $806mn and EBITDA[1] of $1.2bn  Fourth quarter total refinery crude throughput of 797,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), 4% above nameplate capacity of 769,000 bpd Repayment in full of the $1.1bn outstanding under Citgo Petroleum’s […]

The Dragon Dance

(Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 25.Feb.2023) — Energy Minister Stuart Young has again expressed confidence that Trinidad and Tobago (TT) would successfully conclude and execute a deal to receive gas from Venezuela’s Dragon Field, but the challenges before first gas are not to be underestimated. Young gave an update with little […]

EAI’s NRGBriefs: Feb. 2023

(Energy Analytics Institute, 23.Feb.2023) — Energy briefs as well as others related to finance and politics during February 2023 including Repsol commenting on improvement of prospects for operations in Venezuela; earnings updates and webcasts from Pemex, Noble Corporation, bp, Repsol and TotalEnergies; Venezuela reactivates first drilling rig, the PDVEN-778, in […]

Caribbean Seeks Venezuela’s Oil and Gas as U.S. Relaxes Sanctions

(WSJ, 3.Feb.2023) — Caribbean countries battered by high energy costs are turning to Venezuela for oil and gas as the U.S. eases sanctions that have kept its supplies off limits for years. Trinidad and Tobago received a U.S. Treasury Department license in January to develop a Venezuelan gas field. A prospective refinery operator […]