HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Editores Latin Petroleum, 20.Jul.2026, Words: 1400) — On 24 Jun. 2026, 2 powerful earthquakes — the first of 7.2 and the second of 7.5 on […]
Tag: Hugo Chavez
ANALYSIS: PetroCaribe 2.0? Venezuela, Delcy and the future of oil diplomacy in the Caribbean
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 12.May.2026, Words: 2087) — As Caracas courts Caribbean partners again — signaled most recently by a new deal with Barbados — Venezuela’s […]
EAI brief: China-Venezuela bilateral ties, $10bn in Chinese loans still outstanding
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA (By Ana Sanches, Energy Analytics Institute, 20.Jan.2026, Words: 315) — China and Venezuela have developed a deep bilateral trade relationship, which florist during the years of the presidency […]
A short primer on the relationship between China-Venezuela
WASHINGTON, DC (By The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 13.Jan.2026, Words: 3,259) — A short primer on the relationship between Asia’s China and South America’s Venezuela. Political Evolution — […]
The New York Times Morning: Inside Venezuela
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (By The New York Times, Sam Sifton, 3.Dec.2025, Words: 692) — In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro is trying to avoid the long arm of the United […]
A Month After Venezuela’s Contested Election, the Opposition Fights On
(The Washington Post, 27.Aug.2024) — A month ago, Venezuela’s opposition nurtured a cautious hope. A national election seemed to present a genuine chance to oust the entrenched autocratic regime of President […]
NRGBriefs: May Day Celebrations, No Expropriations Expected
(Energy Analytics Institute, 1.May.2022) — Energy briefs including Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Keith Rowley and Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young visiting Washington, DC to discuss regional […]
State Win for Venezuela’s Opposition Masks Deeper Problems
(Al Jazeera, 11.Jan.2022) — Despite a symbolic victory in Hugo Chavez’s home state, analysts say the opposition has few options left. Venezuela’s opposition has won an important symbolic battle in securing […]
Former PDVSA Executive Ortega Gets Two Year Prison Sentence
(AP, 5.May.2021) — A former Venezuelan oil executive was sentenced to more than two years in prison for taking at least $12 million in bribes from businessmen who allegedly raided […]
China, Russia, Venezuela: Q&A With Thomas O’Donnell
(Energy Analytics Institute, 13.Feb.2021) — China and Russia continue to push around their might in Venezuela. Thomas O’Donnell with the Hertie School of Governance & Freie Universität-Berlin weighs in briefly […]
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 […]
Chavez’s Legacy Oil Hasn’t Been Broken?
(The Globe and Mail, 13.Feb.2020) — In terms of its trademark nationalist approach to its economy – the crown jewel of which has long been the country’s oil industry – […]
PDVSA Cedes Oilfield Operations To Foreign Firms
(Reuters, 3.Jan.2020) — Venezuelan state company PDVSA is letting some joint venture partners take over the day-to-day operation of oilfields as its own capacity dwindles due to sanctions and a […]
Unpaid Bills Add To Pemex Woes
(Bloomberg, Amy Stillman, Peter Millard and Justin Villamil, 26.Nov.2019) — Companies that help keep Mexico’s faltering oil wells operating are waiting months to get paid and the debts are building […]
Maduro Pledges Funds For Shipyard In Argentina
(Reuters, Luc Cohen, 3.Nov.2019) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday pledged funds for a state-owned Argentine shipyard to finish building two long- overdue tankers for state oil company Petroleos […]
Venezuela Oil Exports To Cuba Rising: Sources
(Reuters, Mircely Guanipa and Marianna Parraga, 25.Sep.2019) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA ordered an increase in exports to ally Cuba to ease fuel shortages on the island this month, […]
Venezuela’s Congress To Consider Scaled-back Reform
(Reuters, By Luc Cohen, 15.Aug.2019) — Venezuela’s opposition-controlled congress is considering reforms to the country’s oil law that would open up the sector to private investment but are scaled back […]
Fallout From Sweet Oil Deal For Venezuela’s Neighbors
(NPR, 20.Jul.2019) — It sounded like such a good idea at the time. The year was 2005. Global oil prices were climbing dramatically. Countries in the Caribbean were facing major […]
Chevron Stayed In Venezuela Long After Rivals Quit
(Wall Street Journal, Kejal Vyas and Bradley Olson, 8.Nov.2018) — For nearly a century, Chevron Corp. has weathered dictatorships, coups and nationalization drives to keep pumping oil in Venezuela. But recently, […]
Ex-Venezuela Oil Official Pleads Guilty In Graft Probe
(AP, 2.Nov.2018) The former finance chief of Venezuela’s state oil company pleaded guilty on Wednesday to participating in an alleged US$1.2-billion embezzlement scheme, a major breakthrough for US prosecutors targeting […]
In Guyana, Exxon Oil Project Stirs International Tensions
(Houston Chronicle, James Osborne, 2.Nov.2018) — Almost 4,000 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, off the northern coastline of South America, Exxon Mobil is drilling one of the […]
Cut Venezuela’s Oil Exports, and Cut its Tyrant Down to Size
(Washington Examiner, 1.Oct.2018) — Meeting with the president of Chile at the White House on Friday, President Trump pledged to continue confronting humanitarian suffering in Venezuela. The president deserves credit […]
Venezuela Doubles Down on Chinese Money to Reverse Crisis
(AP, 20.Sep.2018) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday that new investments from China will help his country dramatically boost its oil production, doubling down on financing from the Asian […]
Venezuela’s Retrogressing Economy — Exhibit 1, PDVSA
(Steve Hanke, Contributor to Forbes, 19.Sep.2018) — Two hallmarks characterize capitalist economies. Firstly, property is predominately in private hands. Consequently, goods and services are allocated via market mechanisms in which […]
President Moise Wants Full Transparency in PetroCaribe Probe
(CMC, 19.Sep.2018) — President Jovenel Moise has called on newly installed Prime Minister Jean-Henry Céant to ensure that there’s total transparency in the investigation regarding the use of funds under […]
How Will Guyana Deal With Its Oil Windfall?
(CNNMoney, Talib Visram, 4.Sep.2018) — The South American country with the smallest GDP is about to burst with oil. ExxonMobil found oil off Guyana’s coast in 2015, and believes the […]
Scorch Earth Suicide in Venezuela
(EnergyNomics de Venezuela, Carlos A Rossi, 1.Sep.2018) — Nicolas Maduro has drawn the line in the sand: “Either you are with me and stay here living precariously with Chavism, or […]
Rosneft May Challenge Crystallex Claim To Citgo Shares
(Oilprice.com, Irina Slav, 23.Aug.2018) — Rosneft has asked a U.S. federal court to establish “a robust appraisal and sale process” of Citgo shares following Canadian miner Crystallex’ win at court […]
Rafael Ramírez Says Maduro Destroyed PDVSA
(Energy Analytics Institute, Jared Yamin, 19.Aug.2018) – Former PDVSA President Rafael Ramírez says Venezuela produced 3 million barrels per day until December 2013. That figure has dropped by 1.8 million, […]
Crystallex Can Go After Venezuela’s US Refineries
(Associated Press, 9.Aug.2018) – A Canadian gold mining company on Thursday won the right to go after Venezuela’s prized U.S.-based oil refineries and collect $1.4 billion it lost in a […]
How Far Can Venezuela Go In Raising Gas Price?
(AFP, Esteban Rojas, 5.Aug.2018) – In Venezuela’s inflation-hit economy, a single US dollar can buy 3.5 million liters of gasoline — an absurdity that the government says it will tackle […]
Venezuela Inflation to Hit 1 Mln Percent. Thanks, Socialism.
(Washington Post, Megan McArdle, 27.Jul.2018) – According to the International Monetary Fund, by the end of the year, the annual inflation rate in Venezuela will reach 1 million percent. A number […]
U.S. Revokes Visa of Citgo CEO
(Bloomberg, Lucia Kassai and Fabiola Zerpa, 18.Jul.2018) – Being a blood relative of Hugo Chavez used to open doors. Now Asdrubal Chavez, cousin of the late Venezuelan socialist leader, is […]
How Venezuela Struck It Poor
(Foreign Policy, 16.Jul.2018) — The tragic — and totally avoidable — self-destruction of one of the world’s richest oil economies. In the spring of 1959, at a secretive meeting at […]
Venezuela’s Ex-Oil Czar Sees Economic Collapse Accelerating
(AP, 27.May.2018) – Venezuela’s former oil czar said crude production in the OPEC nation will continue to plummet in the aftermath of President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election, as the embattled socialist […]
Venezuela’s Oil Sector Glory Days [EAItv]
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 1.May.2018) – A brief look at Venezuela’s oil sector glory days. Will they return?
PDVSA Completes Directional Work on 70th Well in Maracaibo
(Energy Analytics Institute, Jared Yamin, 20.Jun.2016) – PDVSA’s Western Petroleum Services division has performed services on a total of 70 drilling wells with the recent completion of work on a […]
Venezuela Seeks Disqualification of ICSID Judges
(Energy Analytics Institute, Jared Yamin, 26.Mar.2015) – Venezuela presented a letter to the ICSID court requesting the dismissal of judge Kenneth Keith. Keith is the president of the arbitration tribunal […]
Q&A with Tudor Pickering’s David Pursell
(Energy Analytics Institute, Pietro D. Pitts, 18.Sep.2013) – Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. LLC Managing Director David Pursell spoke with Energy Analytics Institute in a brief interview from Dallas, Texas. […]
Journalist round table with PDVSA head Rafael Ramirez about the Faja, FONDEN, and more
CARACAS, VENEZUELA (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 31.Jul.2013, Words: 1999) – PDVSA President Rafael Ramirez held a small round table with journalist in Caracas, Venezuela. What follows are […]
Ramirez Comments on Oil, Mining Sectors
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 27.Jul.2013) – Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez comments on development of the Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt and the Venezuelan mining sector. “The Faja project was […]
Q&A with Tissot Associate’s Roger Tissot on Venezuela, Ecuador and PetroCaribe
CARACAS, VENEZUELA (By Energy Analytics Institute, Pietro D. Pitts, 19.Jul.2013) – Tissot Associates Consultant Roger Tissot spoke with Energy Analytics Institute in a brief interview from Canada. What follows are […]
Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico: Three Ways To Nationalize Oil
(CSMonitor, 12.May.2012) — Argentina’s renationalization of its biggest oil company, YPF, recently caused an outcry. But the cases of oil nationalization in Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela show that outcomes can […]
Venezuela Seizes Helmerich & Payne Rigs
(TulsaWorld, Rod Walton, 2.Jul.2010) – The action comes amid a payment dispute in which the company left the equipment idle. Helmerich & Payne’s 52-year business relationship with Venezuela came to […]
Petro-Canada Joins Venezuelan Oil Exodus
(Reuters, 26.Jun.2007) — Petro-Canada has pulled out of Venezuela by rejecting new nationalistic terms for oil projects and passing its stake in one discovery to President Hugo Chavez’s government, it […]
Bolivia’s Nationalization of Oil and Gas
(Council on Foreign Relations, Carin Zissis, 12.May.2006) — In a region seen as turning leftward, forging alliances would seem a natural course of events. But Bolivian President Evo Morales’ decision […]