VENEECONOMIST
VENE · ECONOMISTINTELLIGENCE UNIT · SECTOR BRIEF
VE-ENERGY · March 2026 · SECTOR BRIEF

The oil opening in numbers: regulatory framework, production, OFAC licenses

The oil opening in numbers. Regulatory framework, production, OFAC licenses, and the players positioning themselves.

FAVORABLE · Favorable perspectiveMarch 24, 2026

Production: 1.021K bpd (OPEC data Feb 2026) · Brent: $106 due to Hormuz crisis · 7 OFAC general licenses without expiration · Revenue under custody of U.S. Treasury via trust in Qatar · Certified reserves: 303 billion barrels (world's largest) · Chevron: active presence, targeting 300K bpd · Repsol: plan to triple production · Maha Capital exercised PetroUrdaneta option using GL 52 on March 18.

Production (1.021K bpd · Oriente + Maracaibo + Apure) → Dilution (imported naphtha via GL 47) → Puerto José / La Cruz (70% capacity) → Commercialization (Trafigura, Vitol, Chevron) → Revenue (Qatar trust → U.S. Treasury → BCV/Budget)

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Classification
Sector Brief · VE-ENERGY
March 2026 · Monthly edition
Sector Verdict
FAVORABLE · Favorable perspective
Next review: April 2026
Editorial product
Sector Brief — Recurring structural knowledge. Distinct from Analysis (ad-hoc per event) and VE Score (quantitative rating).

FURTHER READING

04
VE PULSE · 25-AUG-2026

Money paid up front for a Venezuelan home stops passing through the builder's hands

Until now the developer took the buyer's down payment and put it to work. The text passed on Friday routes it into a trust that releases funds only against construction progress certified by an independent engineer.

SECTOR BRIEF · VE-ENERGY-UPSTREAM

Venezuela Upstream July 2026: LOH Regulation drops PDVSA (Gaceta 7,052), Repsol signs Horcón MoU, OFAC amends GL 46C-54A, Brent normalizes to $81

The first comprehensive Hydrocarbons Law regulation since 1943 opens upstream to privates without a mandatory joint venture; the VE Score eases from 94 to 84 on Brent's correction (May $104 → July $81), not regulatory deterioration.

OFAC · GL 46C

GL 46C — Trade in Venezuelan-Origin Oil and Petrochemical Products

Authorizes an established U.S. entity to lift, export, sell, store, transport and refine Venezuelan-origin oil —and to import Venezuelan-origin petrochemical products into the U.S.— in transactions involving the Government of Venezuela and PdVSA, subject to U.S./allied law and forum and Treasury payment routing. Supersedes GL 46B.

ANÁLISIS · ENERGÍA · SANCIONES Y ELEGIBILIDAD

OFAC eligibility in Venezuela: who lends the permit to sign with PDVSA

A Canadian oil company set out on August 24 the six steps it took to enter Venezuelan crude: a U.S. subsidiary, registration with the investment agency, exclusivities, data packages and a field visit. Five it took alone. For the sixth it states that it partners "with entities benefiting from the updated U.S. sanctions regime."

VENE · ECONOMIST Intelligence Unit · Informational analysis. Does not constitute investment advice.
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