Feb 12 • 21:31 UTC 🇲🇽 Mexico El Financiero (ES)

Venezuela ‘opens the tap’ to US and Spanish oil companies: Would give Chevron and Repsol ‘rich’ oil lands

Venezuela is planning to grant more oil production lands to Chevron and Spain's Repsol, as the Trump administration encourages private companies to rebuild the nation's energy sector.

Venezuela is set to increase the land available for oil production to foreign companies, particularly US-based Chevron and Spain's Repsol. This development is part of a broader strategy pushed by the Trump administration to rejuvenate Venezuela's struggling energy sector. As the political landscape in Venezuela shifts, particularly following the ousting of former President Nicolás Maduro, there is renewed interest from international firms looking to tap into Venezuela's vast oil resources, which have remained largely untapped due to years of local and foreign political turmoil.

The opportunity for collaboration between Venezuelan authorities and foreign oil companies has been described as significant by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who visited a Chevron-operated project in the Orinoco oil belt. The administration's approach aims to diminish the influence of China and Russia within Venezuela, which have historically been involved in its oil sector. Increased access to oil lands for Chevron and Repsol highlights a strategic pivot in energy policy favoring US and European interests, potentially reshaping the geopolitical dynamics in the region.

This initiative may not only enhance the operational capabilities of Chevron and Repsol but also signifies a potential rejuvenation for Venezuela's economy, which has suffered due to sanctions and mismanagement. Furthermore, it plays into the Trump administration's broader narrative of re-establishing US influence in Latin America while sidelining other global powers like China and Russia, making this development not just an economic one but a significant geopolitical move as well.

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