PdV Gets Curacao Reprieve
(Argus, Patricia Garip, 2.Dec.2019) — Venezuela's state-owned PdV struck a preliminary agreement with Curacao to hang on to the Isla refinery and Bullen Bay terminal for a transition period of...
Guaido Sacks Colombia Envoy, Oil Boss Freites Quits
(Argus, 27.Nov.2019) — Another prominent figure in Venezuela's US-backed parallel administration has abruptly departed and an oil union leader has quit the main opposition political party in the latest signs...
Rosneft Cool On Venezuela’s Sweeter Gas Terms, For Now
(Argus, 6.Nov.2019) — Venezuela is offering sweeter fiscal terms to Russia's state-controlled Rosneft for two offshore natural gas fields that are well-positioned to supply nearby Trinidad and Tobago, but the...
Repsol Lowers Venezuela Exposure
(Argus, 4.Nov.2019) — Spanish integrated firm Repsol further reduced its exposure to its upstream business in Venezuela in the third quarter thanks to a small provision and a rise in...
Brazil Targets Greek Tanker For Spill
(Argus, 1.Nov.2019) — Brazil is targeting a Greek-flagged tanker as the source of a catastrophic oil spill that has spread across the northeastern coast. Federal police say the Suezmax Bouboulina...
Maduro Rivals Seek Break With Citgo
(Argus, 17.Oct.2019) — Venezuela's main political opposition is pressing for a deal with foreign bondholders to suspend a looming $914mn obligation that is tethered to coveted US refining assets. The...
Venezuela’s Opposition Snubs PDVSA Bondholders
(Argus, 15.Oct.2019) — Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly signaled to bondholders today that it will not honor a $914mn principal and interest obligation because it says the debt issuance is unconstitutional....
PdV-CNPC JV Managers Arrested
(Argus, 7.Oct.2019) — Senior managers of Venezuelan state-owned PdV's heavy crude-blending joint venture with Chinese state-owned CNPC were arrested late last week, days after the blending plant halted operations. PetroSinovensa...
PdV Floods Cuba With Stranded Oil
(Argus, 3.Oct.2019) — At least three Venezuelan fuel tankers are heading towards Cuba today, part of a flotilla meant to free up domestic storage space while defying a US campaign...
Cuba Won’t negotiate On Venezuela, But Russia Might
(Miami Herald, Nora Gámez Torres and Michael Wilner, 24.Sep.2019) — Moscow has maintained communication with members of the Venezuelan opposition even as the Cuban government plans on “going down with...
China Stays Venezuela Course
(Argus, 20.Aug.2019) — The Chinese government is so far showing no sign of curtailing its oil ties to Venezuela, despite state-owned PetroChina's rescheduling of Merey crude loadings in August. Argus...
Fuel Crisis Denting PdV Upstream Operations
(Argus, 18.Jun.2019) — Venezuela's severe motor fuel deficit is starting to weigh on the Opec country's crude production, as oil workers struggle to reach their jobs, and oil equipment and...
Haitians Decry Squandered Venezuelan Oil Funds
(Argus, 11.Jun.2019) — Deadly street protests have erupted in Haiti following the publication of a court report alleging that recent governments mishandled about $2bn in oil-related credit from Venezuela. Seven...
Fire Near PdV’s PLC Refinery Kills Three
(Argus, 9.Jun.2019) — A fire yesterday near state-owned PdV's 190,000 b/d Puerto La Cruz refinery killed at least three people. Civil emergency and Anzoategui state firefighting officials blamed the fire...
Venezuela’s Opposition Hires Debt Adviser
(Argus, 20.May.2019) — Venezuela's political opposition contracted with an international adviser to prepare for restructuring the country's external debt that is expected to exceed $150bn. Lee Buchheit, a specialist in...
Venezuelan Oil Output Sinks To 500,000 B/D
(Argus, 14.May.2019) — Venezuela's crude production has dropped to around 500,000 b/d as sluggish export loadings and replete storage force state-owned PdV to shut in wells, four company officials tell...
Lights Dimming On Big Oil In Venezuela
(Argus, Patricia Garip, 10.Apr.2019) — Darkness has befallen Venezuela in more than one sense, and incumbent oil companies are scrambling for a ray of light. It was hard enough for...
Turkish Ship Company Is Transporting Venezuelan Crude
(Argus, 4.Apr.2019) — Turkey-based Gungen is one of a handful of shipowners that continues to transport Venezuelan crude oil after the US levied sanctions on the South American country's state-owned...
Crystallex Court Win Against Venezuela Aided by Finding
(Reuters, Brian Ellsworth, 10.Aug.2018) – Crystallex’s victory in a legal battle with Venezuela that paves the way for it to collect a $1.4 billion award hinged on a finding that...
PdV, Joint Ventures Miss Oil Targets
(Argus, 9.Aug.2018) – Venezuela's state-owned PdV and its joint ventures fell short of officially targeted crude production by more than 125,000 b/d in July, according to an internal PdV upstream...
Venezuela’s Petropiar Upgrader Begins Restart
(Reuters, 26.Jun.2018) – Venezuela’s PDVSA and Chevron have begun to restart their 210,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Petropiar heavy crude upgrader after a nearly month-long, repair-related shutdown and a fire, according to the...
PdV Restarting PetroPiar Upgrader
(Argus, 26.Jun.2018) – Venezuelan state-owned PdV is restarting its 210,000 b/d PetroPiar upgrader this week after completing month-long repairs, PdV and energy ministry officials said. Chevron, which has a 30pc...
Lake Maracaibo: Descent into Chaos [EAItv]
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 15.Jun.2018) – A brief look at Lake Maracaibo’s descent into chaos. The Maracaibo basin has produced over 43 billion barrels of petroleum, and close to...
Venezuelan Decree Aims to Boost PDVSA Oil Capacity
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 5.Jun.2018) – Decree No. 3368, dated April 12, 2018, and published in Gazette No. 41376, establishes a special transitional regime aimed at boosting Venezuela’s oil...
Venezuela’s Grim Realities
(Anthony Venezia, Energy Intelligence, 30.May.2018) -- The political and economic crisis afflicting Venezuela typically makes international headlines in connection with the possibility of sanctions being imposed on Caracas by the...
Venezuela’s Energy Sectors Remain Attractive, Unattractive
(Energy Analytics Institute, Special from Pietro D. Pitts, 28.May.2018) -- Venezuela’s upstream, downstream and midstream sectors remain attractive, yet unattractive to investors. Why the contradiction? The three sectors remain highly...