La empresa de Alejandro Betancourt obtiene una concesión de 100 años sobre el crudo venezolano

The United States Department of Defense will hold a 35% stake in North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), the private company granted a 100-year concession to explore Venezuelan oil by the Trump administration and President Delcy Rodriguez. This agreement allows NABEP to drill 17 oil fields containing around 65 billion barrels of crude, equivalent to nearly a fifth of Venezuela's reserves.

In return, the U.S. State Department will have the right to purchase 20% of the produced oil at production costs to replenish American strategic reserves. NABEP, led by Venezuelan entrepreneur Alejandro Betancourt, is the second-largest crude producer in Venezuela, with daily output exceeding 200,000 barrels. Betancourt faces investigations in Spain, Switzerland, and the U.S. for suspected money laundering and tax fraud related to state-owned Venezuelan oil firm Pdvsa, claims he denies.

Seeking to boost production to over a million barrels daily, the Trump administration claims the deal will increase oil production and lower gasoline prices in the U.S., a goal threatened by tensions with Iran. The White House states NABEP will invest $10 billion to restore Venezuela's oil infrastructure and pay $2 billion in taxes to Venezuelan authorities over the next 25 years, with a U.S. veto over NABEP's board appointments.

Following the U.S. capture and ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Washington has supported the Rodriguez-led government and restored diplomatic relations with Caracas. The oil deal has raised suspicions among some that the Trump administration is not genuinely committed to promoting democratic transition in Venezuela, even though that was one of the reasons cited for Maduro's ouster.