Plan should take at least 2 years and projects return of US companies to Venezuela; low barrel price and political risk can limit investment
The President of the USA (United States), (Republican Party), declared that he wants to open Venezuela’s oil reserves to large North American companies, with the promise of rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and increasing production.
Estimates show that increasing production by half a million barrels per day would require investments of at least US$10 billion and would take up to 2 years.
The consultancy projected that it would take around US$15 billion to US$20 billion over a decade to add 500,000 barrels per day of production in Venezuela’s main Orinoco region. It estimated that taking production to much higher levels – 2 million barrels per day – would require approximately US$110 billion of investment.
In an announcement made on Saturday (January 3, 2026), Trump stated that US companies would invest billions of dollars to recover Venezuelan fields and oil pipelines. SAccording to him, part of the gains would be used as financial compensation to the USA.
Today, Chevron is the only major US oil company operating in the country and accounts for around ⅓ of local production, estimated at 900 thousand barrels per day. Other companies will carefully assess legal and economic security, as Venezuela has a history of nationalizations and legal disputes with foreign groups.
POLITICAL RISK
In addition to the political risk, the international oil market does not show a strong appetite for increasing supply. A barrel in the US remains below US$60, a value that discourages new projects. Investors may prefer regions like the Permian Basin in the US rather than taking on costs and uncertainty in Venezuela.
The bet on Venezuelan heavy oil reflects the need for refineries that can extract more margin from this type of oil. The country claims to have more than 300 billion barrels in proven reserves. To attract external capital, however, it will be necessary to redesign local laws, renegotiate debts and stabilize the economy.
Trump reinforced that Venezuelan oil would serve as a strategic instrument for the USA. The North American president has already publicly defended that countries that win in conflicts should have the right to exploit natural resources as a form of compensation.
THE ATTACK
The President of the United States, (Republican Party), announced on Saturday (January 3, 2026), on its profile on the Truth Social network, that the country carried out a military operation against Venezuela and captured the president (PSUV, left) and the first lady.
General Dan Caine, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, stated that Trump ordered the capture of Maduro on Friday night (Jan. 2, 2026). The operation was carried out in the early hours of Saturday (January 3). also attacks on 4 targets in the country with 150 fighters and bombings, which took off from different points and neutralized Venezuelan air defense systems.
US military helicopters flew troops to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital to capture Maduro. The mission lasted about two hours and 20 minutes.
There are questions regarding the fact that the US would carry out a military operation in another country without approval from the and (United Nations). Trump says this is unnecessary.
But there are also doubts about non-compliance with US laws. The operation should have been previously approved by the US Congress. The Secretary of State,declared that it was not possible to notify congressmen in advance.
It is uncertain whether there were deaths or injuries in the action. Until the publication of this report, Venezuelan authorities had not released figures, but stated that civilians died during the operation.
A U.S. official said there were no U.S. military casualties. He did not talk about possible Venezuelan deaths.
COUNTRY COMMAND
In the early afternoon of Saturday (January 3, 2026), Trump told journalists that the United States would temporarily take over the administration of the country until a political transition was defined. It did not detail how this would be done, focusing on statements about the exploration and sale of Venezuelan oil.
According to the Venezuelan Constitution, power should be exercised by the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez. Trump said Rubio spoke with Rodríguez and that she expressed a willingness to cooperate with U.S.-led actions.
About opposition leader María Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Trump that she would not have enough political support to govern Venezuela.
In a live speech late Saturday afternoon (January 3), Rodríguez Trump’s statements, classified the US action as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and stated that Maduro remains the country’s legitimate president.
The vice president also declared that Venezuela is open to a respectful relationship with the Trump government, as long as it is based on international law. “This is the only type of relationship possible. We will not be a colony of any other country”these.
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