SECTOR · ENERGY
Energy Sector
The energy sector is the heart of Venezuela's economy: crude and gas production, refining, joint ventures and the power system that sustains the country's operations.
VE Pulses
10Shell signs Phase I of the Loran field and the debt restructuring already has a draft price
The new permit regime is already producing contracts in gas, debt and agriculture; what it does not yet produce is what would sustain them: a stable barrel, reserves that hold, and a standing judicial arbiter.
Venezuela's State seizes Bolívar's gold by force, 672 MW of idle hydropower restart under a U.S. license, and the bolívar holds on reserves
The record barrel funds Venezuela's recovery but buys no structure: the State reorders the gold rent by force, the power grid restarts only with a U.S. license, and the bolívar holds by spending reserves. Volume flows; the rest is the pending test.
The U.S. blockades Venezuela's sanctioned crude by sea and presses on its oil law, as a Middle East truce cheapens the barrel
Washington controls all four levers of Venezuela's oil revenue —cash, rules, route and now the price— so its record export volume decides less and less.
The top U.S. military officer lands in Caracas to back the transition, a Nasdaq SPAC lines up US$2.25 billion and the PDVSA-Crypto trial stays stuck
Venezuela's transition gains its strongest guarantee —the highest-ranking U.S. soldier in Caracas— and draws capital, but the money answering is still speculative and the institutions that should sustain it still do not work.
Venezuela opens its power sector to private capital, sends Rodríguez to India for petrodollars and hires lawyers for its defaulted debt
Venezuela sells its oil at the fastest pace in years, yet opens to private capital the electricity it cannot sustain, seeks capital in India and adds lawyers to its debt rework: the flow grows, the capital to run it does not appear.
Exxon sits with the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela goes to Houston for inputs and Darren Woods crosses Canadian heavy oil data with the Faja
Exxon stops being a rumor and turns into bilateral meetings and operational engineering, Saudi Arabia cedes its Indian share and Caracas opens a Drilling School — three movements that fix the upstream timeline.
Caracas redesigns itself in 90 days, India receives 319 kbpd from Venezuela and LNG Energy commits US$200M to upstream
The State apparatus reengineering, the oil flow to India and the return of U.S. private capital run at once on the same second-quarter timeline — and the operational question is whether the three are coordinated or each responds to a different principal.
Weekly close: Exxon nears Venezuela deal, Conoco rejects 95% take, Delcy heads to India and BVC raises capital
The apertura now has a name moving and a name objecting — Exxon close to an announcement, Conoco putting a numeric ceiling on what the framework can ask.
Venezuela Hydrocarbons speaks in Houston, DOJ charges Saab in Miami, Aeroméxico schedules Caracas
Houston, Miami and Mexico City concentrate Venezuelan activity today on the same axis — the Hydrocarbons Ministry at the AAPG, Saab in SDFL federal custody, Aeroméxico fixing October for the return to Maiquetía. Three documents the same day; the question now is which one produces a verifiable next step before June.
Chevron at 49%: first binding major expansion in the Rodríguez era
The Petroindependencia deal consolidates the heavy crude bet as the opposition formalizes its demand for a new electoral body and elections
Analysis
10Repsol Returns to Venezuela: The Investment-Against-Debt Model and What It Means for ConocoPhillips' $12B
Repsol regains operational control of Petroquiriquire (40/60 with PDVSA), plans to increase output 50% in 12 months and triple it in three years despite $4.55B in outstanding debt. The deal includes new payment guarantees via crude exports.
Chevron at 49%: the volume play reshaping the Orinoco Belt
Chevron raised its stake in Petroindependencia to the legal ceiling of 49% and secured Block Ayacucho 8 rights in exchange for surrendering all offshore gas assets and its Maracaibo position. First binding expansion by a major under the Rodríguez administration.
OFAC Clarifies Operating Conditions for Venezuela Energy Sector
Las FAQ publicadas el 1 de abril eliminan ambiguedad sobre pagos y exclusiones geopoliticas bajo GL 46B, 51A y 52.
GL 51 + Ley de Minas: la apertura minera venezolana se acelera y frena en la misma semana
Verdict: UNDER OBSERVATION · Favorable outlook. OFAC authorized Venezuelan gold exports to the U.S. on March 6. Burgum visited Caracas with 26 mining companies. The National Assembly approved the Mining Law in first reading on March 9. But the second reading stalled after 12 of 130 articles. What looked like a sprint became an obstacle course — with gold, diamonds, and rare earths as the prize.
Las majors petroleras dicen lo que Washington no quiere escuchar: la reforma venezolana es «lamentablemente inadecuada»
Verdict: FAVORABLE · Favorable outlook. At CERAWeek Houston, the CEOs of ConocoPhillips and Chevron — the two most important companies for Venezuela's oil future — publicly stated that OFAC licenses are not enough. They need fiscal reform, legal certainty, and a debt repayment plan. Licenses open the door; the local framework determines if anyone walks through it.
Licencia General 52: OFAC desbloquea PDVSA para empresas estadounidenses y redefine las reglas del petróleo venezolano
Verdict: FAVORABLE · Favorable outlook. GL 52 is the broadest authorization Washington has issued on Venezuela since sanctions were imposed. It allows established U.S. companies to operate directly with PDVSA without a specific license. Contracts under U.S. law, payments to Treasury, and exclusion of Russia, Iran, China, and Cuba. Venezuelan oil wasn't set free — it changed wardens.
GL 48A: The license that makes CORPOELEC a legal counterparty and opens Venezuela's power sector to U.S. suppliers
GL 48A is the most underrated license in the package. It does not trade oil — it supplies the goods, technology, software, and services that make production work.
GL 46B: The license that makes the U.S. the sole authorized buyer of Venezuelan oil and petrochemicals
GL 46B does not merely authorize Venezuelan crude trading. The March 13 version expanded its scope to petrochemical products, fertilizers, and derivatives.
GL 50A: The named license — 6 majors authorized for unrestricted operations in Venezuela's oil sector
OFAC named six companies in an annex: Chevron, BP, Eni, Repsol, Shell, and Maurel & Prom. For these companies and their subsidiaries, GL 50A authorizes all transactions related to oil and gas operations in Venezuela.
GL 47: Diluents are the key that unlocks production — and the license nobody is reading
Without naphtha, the extra-heavy crude from the Orinoco Belt does not flow. GL 47 authorizes the sale of U.S.-origin diluents to Venezuela.
Sector Briefs
05Chevron Q1 revela 1–2% del CFO (cash flow operativo) en Venezuela; producción cruza 1.23M bpd y GL 5W señala coordinación con Citgo
Brief VE-ENERGY-UPSTREAM mayo 2026. El upstream entra en fase de ejecución contractual: exportaciones cruzan 1.23M bpd en abril (máximo en 7 años, +14% intermensual), Chevron en su call Q1 (1 may) confirma Venezuela = 1–2% del CFO (cash flow operativo) con cuenta por cobrar de $1.5B en amortización a 2027 y sin compromiso de capex incremental antes de clarificación fiscal. GL 5W (4 may) extiende protección bono PDVSA 2020 hasta 19 jun — extensión más corta en dos años, señal de coordinación Treasury con proceso judicial Citgo en Delaware. Repsol Petroquiriquire, Eni Junín-5 y Maurel & Prom operativos bajo GL 50A.
Production crosses 1 million bpd and majors sign: upstream closes Q1 with complete framework and binding power ceiling
VE-ENERGY-UPSTREAM April 2026 brief. Hydrocarbons reform passed (Jan 29), OFAC GL 52 (Mar 18), formal returns from Eni, Repsol and Chevron in April. Production 1.095M bpd, exports >1M for the first time in 6 months. India overtakes China as top buyer at 343K bpd. Revenues channeled to U.S. Treasury custody via EO 14373. The binding ceiling remains electrical (covered in VE-ENERGY-DOMESTICO).
Venezuelan power sector: $15–40B to light up a country Siemens and GE already inspected
VE-ENERGY April brief. GL 48A active, Wright in February, Siemens/GE inspections in March, Delcy announcement in April. The legal-enablement layer is closed; payment mechanism and power reform are not. The power constraint ceilings oil production at 1.2M bpd.
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.
SEZs, manufacturing and foreign trade: the non-oil economy under the microscope
SEZs, manufacturing, foreign trade and telecommunications. The non-oil economy under the microscope.
OFAC Licenses
13GL 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.
GL 47A — Sale of U.S.-Origin Diluents to Venezuela
Authorizes the export, sale, supply and transport of U.S.-origin diluents to Venezuela in transactions involving the Government of Venezuela and PdVSA, subject to U.S./allied law and forum. Supersedes GL 47.
GL 48B — Supply of Goods and Services to Venezuela
Authorizes the supply from the U.S. or by a U.S. person of goods, technology, software or services for oil, gas and petrochemical exploration, development and production, and for electricity generation, transmission, storage and distribution in Venezuela. Supersedes GL 48A.
GL 50B — Oil or Gas Sector Operations of Listed Entities
Authorizes transactions related to oil or gas sector operations in Venezuela of the entities listed in the Annex and their subsidiaries, subject to U.S./allied law and forum and Treasury routing of payments —including royalties and taxes. Supersedes GL 50A.
GL 52A — Transactions Involving Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.
Authorizes an established U.S. entity to engage with PdVSA and its entities in transactions otherwise prohibited by E.O. 13884 and 13850, subject to U.S./allied law and forum and Treasury payment routing. Preserves the E.O. 13808 prohibitions on bonds and debt. Supersedes GL 52.
GL 52 — Specific Transactions Involving PDVSA
Authorizes specific transactions with PDVSA and its majority-owned subsidiaries necessary for the execution of the GL 46B/50A regime: settlement of legacy accounts receivable, pre-2019 contract settlement, transfers between authorized accounts.
GL 50A — Oil and Gas Sector Operations
Authorizes specific operations in the Venezuelan oil and gas sector including field development, infrastructure, transportation, and commercialization by foreign operators (Repsol, Eni, BP, Shell, Maurel & Prom).
GL 46B — Expanded Venezuelan Oil and Petrochemical Trade
Expanded version of GL 46 extending authorizations to activities involving Venezuelan-origin oil, petrochemical products, and supply of goods and services to the sector. Captures Repsol/Eni/M&P relationships without requiring specific licenses.
GL 48A — Supply of Certain Items and Services to Venezuela
Authorizes the provision from the United States or by a U.S. person of goods, technology, software, or services for the exploration, development, or production of oil, gas, or petrochemical products in Venezuela, or for the generation, transmission, storage, or distribution of electricity, subject to a U.S.-law contract and payments into the Foreign Government Deposit Funds. Supersedes GL 48.
GL 47 — Sale of U.S.-Origin Diluents to Venezuela
Authorizes provision of technical services, engineering, and supply of ancillary goods necessary for operations authorized under GL 46/46B.
GL 46 — Venezuelan Oil Trade by Established US Companies
Authorizes U.S. companies with established presence in Venezuela to engage in extraction, processing, transportation and export of Venezuelan crude and refined products. Marks the January 2026 structural shift toward a permissive regime. Superseded by GL 46B in March 2026.
GL 8N — Servicing Authorizations for Designated Entities
Authorizes certain activities necessary for the safe and orderly maintenance of operations (safety, environmental, local payroll) in PDVSA and designated subsidiaries, without permitting new investment or operational expansion.
GL 41 — Authorizing Certain Transactions for Chevron in Venezuela
Original November 2022 license that allowed Chevron to resume operations in joint ventures with PDVSA (Petroboscán, Petropiar, Petroindependencia, Petroindependiente) and export the resulting crude to the U.S. Under the 2026 regime it has been superseded by GL 46/49/50 with broader scope covering multiple majors.
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