CARACAS, VENEZUELA (By Energy Analytics Institute, 22.Jul.2026, Words: 425) — The following briefs span company details on PDVSA, MENPET, TXNM Energy and Blackstone Infrastructure, among others. The briefs are compiled from varied media outlets across the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region and beyond. Energy Analytics Institute (EAI) has not verified […]
Tag: MENPET
Venezuela progressing in technical modernization of its hydrocarbon sector
CARACAS, VENEZUELA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 20.Jul.2026, Words: 156) — Venezuela is making steady progress in the technical modernization of its hydrocarbon sector, according to the country’s Hydrocarbon Ministry. This, following the historic promulgation of new regulations of the Organic Hydrocarbons Law by interim president Delcy Rodríguez Gómez, which […]
Repsol inks deal with PDVSA to explore and develop a new oil area in Venezuela
CARACAS, VENEZUELA (By Repsol, 17.Jun.2026, Words: 325) — Repsol has signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) to assess the potential development of a new area known as Horcón, located southeast of Lake Maracaibo. The agreement was signed today in […]
Repsol inks deal to explore, develop a new oil area in Venezuela
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 17.Jun.2026, Words: 141) — Repsol signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Venezuelan government and state-owned PDVSA to assess the potential development of the Horcón area, located southeast of Lake Maracaibo. The 3 parties also expressed intentions to conduct feasibility studies […]
PRESS DIGEST 11 JUN 2026: Shell inks gas deal in VEN; ARG corruption scandal
CARACAS, VENEZUELA (By editors and writers with Energy Analytics Institute and Editores LatinPetroleum CA, 11.Jun.2026, Words: 375) — The following briefs are compiled from varied media outlets across the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region and beyond and span company details on The Mexico Fund, MENPET, PDVSA, and Shell Venezuela among […]
Venezuelan executive branch evaluates agreements to boost oil production
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 2.Jun.2026, Words: 184) — Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez led a meeting of the National Economic Cabinet and the Hydrocarbons Sector to monitor financial policies and the stimulation of productive sectors. Together with the team from Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and […]
New infrastructure will use AI for preventive maintenance of Venezuelan oil fields
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 29.May.2026, Words: 267) — Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, inaugurated the Hydrocarbons Technology and Data Management Center on 29 May 2026 as part of efforts to boost the national energy sector. During the event, she explained the new infrastructure centralizes strategic information […]
Venezuela inaugurates drilling rig, establishes hydrocarbons council
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 28.May.2026, Words: 491) — Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, inspected the technological capabilities of the Latin American Center for Training and Certification in Drilling “Simón Bolívar” in Anzoátegui State, establishing the Higher Academic Council for Hydrocarbons. Rodríguez, accompanied by her team, toured […]
MENPET head Paula Henao tours PDVSA’s El Palito refinery
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 11.May.2026, Words: 134) — Venezuela’s hydrocarbons minister Paula Henao oversaw a tour of state-owned PDVSA‘s El Palito refinery. The purpose of the visit and tour was to establish the 2026 production roadmap and project strategic goals through 2031.
Delcy meets with hydrocarbons sector authorities from PDVSA to MENPET in Caracas
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 10.Mar.2026, Words: 153) — Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez met with authorities from the country’s hydrocarbons sector as part of efforts to strengthen trade alliances with international partners with an aim on enhancing Venezuela’s capacity once again as a global energy leader. […]
OPINION: Rafael Ramirez comments Venezuela’s hydrocarbon law, pending fall in royalty income
EUROPE (By Rafael Ramirez, former Venezuelan oil minister and former PDVSA president, 2.Mar.2026, Words: 1,400) — The reform by Venezuela’s National Assembly “violates [Venezuela’s] sovereignty and contravenes Articles 12, 302, 303, and 151 of the still-current Constitution,” writes former energy minister Rafael Ramirez. RELATED: VENEZUELA AND 3 PILLARS TO ENERGY […]
EAI brief: Venezuela seeking to certify gas reserves, bragging rights
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 2.Mar.2026, Words: 145) — Energy-rich Venezuela, which possesses the world’s largest oil reserves, with at least 300 billion proven barrels, is now seeking certification as having the world’s fourth largest natural gas reserves. In the early 2000s, Venezuela went through a process […]
EAI brief: US secretary of energy Wright arrives in Caracas to further Trump’s energy deal
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Feb.2026, Words: 168) — US Department of Energy head Chris Wright reaches Caracas on a mission to discuss energy, security and bilateral relations with Venezuelan officials. “US secretary of energy Chris Wright arrived in Caracas earlier this morning to advance president [Donald] […]
![OFAC issues general licenses related to Venezuela [3 PDF downloads]](https://energy-analytics-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Varios-heridos-de-gravedad-en-Venezuela-por-un-incendio-en-una.jpg)
OFAC issues general licenses related to Venezuela [3 PDF downloads]
WASHINGTON, DC (By OFAC, 10.Feb.2026, Words: 62) — The Department of the Treasury‘s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is issuing Venezuela general license 48, “authorizing the supply of certain items and services to Venezuela;” Venezuela general license 30B, “authorizing certain transactions necessary to port and airport operations;” and Venezuela general […]
S&P outlook: Venezuela and the global oil market
WASHINGTON, DC (By S&P, 9.Feb.2026, Words: 923) — Recent weeks have produced developments in international oil politics that would once have been expected to rattle markets: a US operation to apprehend Venezuela’s president, explicit statements by president Trump that the United States intends to “run” Venezuela during a transition, and […]
EAI commentary, talking points, and concluding points around privatizing Venezuela’s PDVSA
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 7.Feb.2026, Words: 743) — Energy Analytics Institute’s case for the privatization of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) is short, simple, and sweet (read 7-point case for privatizing PDVSA to mobilize capital, technology, refocus growth) although one could argue it still lacks […]
Chrysopigi Lady sets sail from Venezuela with initial LPG shipment
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 1.Feb.2026, Words: 253) — Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez announced that the Chrysopigi Lady vessel set sail from Venezuela with the first shipment of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This represents a momentous step for the national energy industry, she said. “Together with […]
ANALYSIS: approval of Venezuela’s organic hydrocarbons law in first reading
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA (By Ana Sanches, Energy Analytics Institute, 28.Jan.2026, Words: 440) — It’s official: the reform to Venezuela’s Organic Hydrocarbons Law was approved by the National Assembly of the OPEC country. Under the urgent parliamentary procedure, the deputies voted quickly — and apparently without having read the text, sources tell […]
ANALYSIS: Venezuela, Siembra Petrolera and Chávez’ 235 bn bbl Faja incorporation goal
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 16.Jan.2026, Words: 370) — Stepping back in time, in Aug. 2006, Venezuela’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (or MENPET as it was known in the early 2000s) and state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) revealed plans that would see the Caribbean country incorporate 235.3 […]
ANALYSIS: Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Chávez’ nationalization decree of 2005
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA (By Ana Sanches, Energy Analytics Institute, 16.Jan.2026, Words: 176) — For what it’s worth, Venezuela’s late president Hugo Chávez announced a nationalization decree in 2005 aimed at regaining Venezuela’s sovereignty over its oil sector. The decree called for state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to assume at least […]
ANALYSIS: Venezuela’s sleeping giant … natural gas for export via pipelines or as LNG
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 16.Jan.2026, Words: 1,448) — Venezuela, with its large conventional and unconventional crude oil reserve base, was a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). And today, Venezuela is the lone country in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region to […]
ANALYSIS: a look at Machado’s vision, seemingly inherited by Trump, for Venezuela
HOUSTON, TEXAS (By Pietro D. Pitts, Energy Analytics Institute, 14.Jan.2026, Words: 997) — A few years back, the recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Venezuela’s leading opposition figure, María Corina Machado, proposed a market-driven overhaul of the Caribbean country’s petroleum industry and finances, aimed at restoring investment, rebuilding capacity, and stabilizing […]
EAI brief: Venezuela’s Mariscal Sucre projects fields and production potential
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA (By Ana Sanches, Energy Analytics Institute, 14.Jan.2026, Words: 150) — Venezuela’s Mariscal Sucre project offshore comprises 4 fields: Dragón, Patao, Mejillones and Río Caribe. The 4 fields associated with Mariscal Sucre, located in water depths between 328-427ft (100-130m), are situated nearly 25 miles north of Venezuela’s Paria peninsula […]
Venezuela grants Dragon gas field license
HOUSTON, TEXAS (Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 20.Dec.2023) — The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) and Shell were granted a license for the exploration and exploitation of non-associated gas in the Dragon field, located in Venezuela’s Paria peninsula. The license was granted during a signing ceremony in […]
![The lifting of sanctions and the oil collapse of Venezuela [PDF download]](https://energy-analytics-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Venezuela-requests-the-extradition-of-former-PDVSA-president-Rafael-Ramirez.jpg)
The lifting of sanctions and the oil collapse of Venezuela [PDF download]
(Rafael Ramírez, 16.Nov.2023) — On 18 Oct., the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)[1] issued Licenses 43 and 44,[2] lifting the sanctions on the Venezuelan oil and mining sector that had been in place since Jan. 2019. The OFAC measure is of a temporary nature, for a period of six months, subject to compliance […]
Venezuela: On the Exercise of Hydrocarbon Extraction Activities
(Contributor, Adaelizabeth Omaira Guerrero Rodríguez, 18.Sep.2023) — The hydrocarbons industry constitutes the main resource of Venezuela, therefore, the study of this area should be the main interest of Venezuelans, in order to be able to make the most accurate decisions on the appropriate legal regime for its exploitation. State control […]
Italy Top Court: Venezuela’s Ex-oil Czar Can’t be Extradited
(AP, 28.Jan.2022) — Italy’s highest court confirmed Friday that Venezuela’s former oil czar cannot be extradited to face corruption charges at home because of his country’s record in violating human rights, his Italian lawyer said. The Court of Cassation upheld a lower court’s ruling in September which recognized that Rafael […]
NRGBriefs: ANP Resolution, Ramirez Extradition Request
(Energy Analytics Institute, 23.Sep.2021) — Energy briefs from the LAC region including: Brazil’s ANP approving a resolution to regulate a reduction in royalties, a court in Rome rejects Nicolas Maduro’s request to extradite former PDVSA head Rafael Ramirez, and the BODs of APA Corp. declaring a regular cash dividend. LATIN […]
Rome Court Rejects Extradition Bid For Ex-Oil Czar
(AP, 20.Sep.2021) — A Rome court has rejected a request by Venezuela to extradite its former oil czar to face corruption charges, citing the country’s record in violating human rights, his Italian lawyer said Monday. Rafael Ramirez, the longtime head of Venezuela’s PDVSA state oil company, fled to Italy after […]
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 adopting the necessary decisions to guarantee the stability of the energy market,” Venezuela’s state owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) announced […]
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 a Zoom webinar. The panel will include Luis Pacheco, Francisco Monaldi, Luis Stefanelli and Elias Matta. __________ By Piero Stewart. […]
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 to withdraw a guilty plea over allegations that U.S. attorneys withheld evidence in the case. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on […]
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 than five years I’ve been denouncing the direction this government is going in terms the delivery of our oil, reversal […]
Venezuela to Continue in Defense of Oil Market Equilibrium
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 29.Sep.2018) — Venezuela’s Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo announced the South American country would continue to seek equilibrium in the petroleum market. “Under the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro, we will continue to defend a policy of equilibrium and stabilization in the world oil market, having […]
Former PDVSA Director Detained in Argentina
(Energy Analytics Institute, Ian Silverman, 17.Aug.2018) – A former PDVSA director has been detained and accused of money laundering. Luis Abraham Bastidas Ramírez, the cousin of former PDVSA President Rafael Ramírez, was detained in Argentina, wrote reporter Dean Rojas in a tweet on his personal twitter account. Ramírez’s capture was […]
PDVSA President Says Venezuela Production Stabilized
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 10.Aug.2018) – PDVSA President Manuel Quevedo assured that Venezuelan crude oil production had stabilized. Quevedo, who also serves as Venezuela’s Petroleum Minister, said last week that “our production is approximately 1.5 million barrels a day for the first half of 2018.” Those remarks were made […]
Venezuela Facing Compounding Oil Woes
(UPI, Daniel J. Graeber, 10.Aug.2018) – Though it holds the largest reserves of oil in the world, production levels put it only in the middle of the pack among OPEC member states. Venezuelan plans to stabilize crude oil production do little to address bottlenecks and the shortage of investments, an […]
Venezuela’s Oil Ministry Has New Website
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 29.Jun.2018) – Venezuela’s Oil Ministry launched its new website and promotional video regarding the same. 🇻🇪🌐 #WEB | Desde @MinPetroleoVE te invitamos a conocer la actualidad petrolera y energética en nuestra nueva página web 📲🖥️🖱️ https://t.co/BbKhLeo1zx pic.twitter.com/JyOCwc1eab— Min. PP Petróleo (@MinPetroleoVE) June 29, 2018 ***
Venezuela Producing 3.8 MMboe/d, PDVSA President Says
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 4.Jul.2016) –Venezuela is producing 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, PDVSA President Eulogio Del Pino said during an interview on the television program José Vicente Hoy, which is produced by Televen. “These days they are saying our production is falling. These are figures […]