News Brief

September 2, 2026

Chevron said it will expand in Venezuela under Trump oil deal

U.S. oil giant Chevron said it hopes to double output in Venezuela following the Trump Administration’s plans to develop the country’s vast reserves.

Chevron has operated in Venezuela since 1923 and is only the oil U.S. oil company with a major presence there, according to the Associated Press. The company plans to spend more than $7 billion over the next five years and ramp up production to about 600,000 barrels per day.

Although the country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela produces far less crude than other top oil producers like the U.S. or Saudi Arabia. Energy experts say the country’s oil infrastructure is in disrepair and will take years of investment to fix, according to the AP.

Trump’s proposed deal with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, involves giving Chevron 100-year rights to 17 oil fields containing an estimated 65 billion barrels.

In a Sept. 1 blog post, Ian Vásquez, vice president for international studies at the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, said the “legality of the deal is questionable” under the U.S. and Venezuelan constitutions.

Venezuela’s Constitution states that such a contract with a foreign government must be approved by the country’s National Assembly, “which did not occur,” Vasquez wrote. “In any event, the National Assembly currently in power also lacks legitimacy, so approval would not be able to overcome that problem.”

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