Divisão do espólio da Venezuela ganha ritmo. “São bilhões de barris”

A Chevron announced plans to double its production in Venezuela and invest $7 billion over the next five years, marking the largest firm capital allocation project in the country since the ousting of Nicolas Maduro in January. With extraction costs below $20 per barrel and vast reserves, Venezuela represents "a differentiated growth platform in oil production," the company stated.

The announcement comes days after an agreement was signed between Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, though Chevron's investment is an independent project. The deal, with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), will allow the exploration of 17 oil fields with estimated reserves of 65 billion barrels of crude oil for up to 100 years – equivalent to about 20% of the country's proven reserves.

The partnership also provides the U.S. government with the right to purchase 20% of the production at cost price and priority on the remaining 80% at market price. The U.S. State Department will administer the deal, with a 35% stake in the joint venture. Chevron, which has been active in Venezuela since 1923, will raise its production in the country to 600,000 barrels per day with the new concessions, mainly in the Carabobo region of the Orinoco basin.

CEO Mike Wirth said the expansion reflects confidence in Venezuela's vast resource potential and its ability to compete for investments. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to remain out of the market for now, as Hugo Chávez nationalized their assets in 2007 and they are seeking billions in compensation.