The US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, projected this Thursday to increase the production of the American company Chevron to 300,000 barrels of oil per day in Venezuela, after visiting the oil fields that the company operates in the Caribbean country, where he also explored ways to modernize the infrastructure. «We visited the Venezuelan oil fields today to explore ways to boost oil production, update infrastructure, and unlock the country's enormous economic potential. A stronger trade will benefit Americans and Venezuelans, while generating peace and prosperity throughout the hemisphere,» Wright assured on X, at the end of his unprecedented two-day visit to Venezuela. Accompanied by the Acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, the US official specifically visited the plants operated by Chevron in the Orinoco Oil Belt, an area that extends across the east of the country and contains the world's largest proven crude oil reserves, as part of a long-term energy partnership, the details of which are not yet known. «The goal is to make the two agreements, political and economic, as fluid as possible between our countries, but there is no doubt that Chevron can increase production at this facility, in this area, to 300,000 barrels per day, there is no doubt about that,» Wright said, according to a brief translation from the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV). Photograph distributed by the Miraflores Palace of the Acting President, Delcy Rodríguez (r), alongside the US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, this February 12, 2026, at one of the plants operated by Chevron in the Orinoco (Venezuela). The US relaxed restrictions to allow US companies to operate in the Venezuelan oil market, albeit under strict control and reporting conditions. On January 29 of this year, the Venezuelan Parliament, controlled by chavismo, approved a reform of the Organic Hydrocarbons Law that opens the oil sector to private and foreign investment. Photo EFE. Chevron is the only US oil company currently operating in Venezuela, and its production for much of 2025 was estimated at between 225,000 and 240,000 barrels, according to experts. The company has a minority stake in joint ventures with the Venezuelan state-owned company Pdvsa and is developing a gas project and four oil projects, two of them in the Orinoco Oil Belt, an area covering 55,314 square kilometers and located in the states of Guárico, Anzoátegui, Monagas, and Delta Amacuro, in the central and eastern part of the country. According to Pdvsa, the belt contains 87% of Venezuela's reserves, making it «the world's largest proven oil reserve,» with the capacity to meet global energy demand for three centuries. Wright's visit is the first by a high-ranking US official following last January's military attack in which Nicolás Maduro was captured and which ultimately changed the link between Caracas and Washington after breaking relations in 2019. Both countries now speak of fluid cooperation, although the Venezuelan government said weeks ago that its approach to the United States is due to Maduro's release. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez also said this Thursday that she was «very happy» with the cooperation with the United States. «We truly honor your presence in Venezuela,» she expressed to Wright on VTV. She also advocated for there to be «no» obstacles in the oil agreement between the South American country and the United States, following the visit to the plant operated by Chevron in the Orinoco oil belt. «We want to go from being the country with the largest oil reserves on the planet to becoming an oil-producing giant in the world and for us to be known that way,» she pointed out. On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department…
