US to Oversee Major Rebuild of Venezuelan Oil Sector, Trump Says Oil Firms to Invest Billions

Washington, Jan 2026 : US President Donald Trump announced an ambitious plan on Friday for the United States to take direct control of efforts to resurrect Venezuela’s oil industry, inviting major American oil companies to lead the reconstruction of the South American nation’s dilapidated energy infrastructure. The initiative comes in the wake of the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces and is being framed as a strategic reset in bilateral relations.

Addressing senior executives from the oil and gas sector at the White House, Trump said Washington will decide which firms may operate in Venezuela and under what terms, highlighting that American companies will work under agreements authorised by the US government rather than negotiate with Venezuelan authorities directly. “We’re going to discuss how these great American companies can help rapidly rebuild Venezuela’s dilapidated oil industry and bring millions of barrels of oil production to benefit the United States, the people of Venezuela, and the entire world,” he said.

Trump also disclosed that Venezuela has already agreed to transfer 30 million barrels of oil worth around $4 billion to the United States — a shipment he said was already en route. “That’s a lot of oil… It’s on its way to the United States right now, and we want to thank Venezuela for that,” Trump added.

The broader strategy envisions US companies extracting Venezuelan crude under comprehensive security assurances that Trump said had previously deterred investment in the country. “One of the reasons you couldn’t go in is that you had no guarantees. You had no security, but now you have total security,” the president said.

Trump urged major energy firms to invest at least $100 billion of private capital in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, emphasising that the US government would not be providing direct funding but would offer protection and stability. “They don’t need government money, but they need government protection and government security,” he said.

Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the initiative, with Vance saying that the operation leading to Maduro’s capture had fundamentally altered the regional energy and security landscape, and Rubio explaining that the plan will unfold in phases, starting with stabilisation and progressing toward recovery, with oil revenues expected to be used to buy American goods.

Trump further asserted that the plan would benefit American consumers by helping to lower domestic fuel prices, citing recent gasoline prices below $2 per gallon. “This will lead to even lower energy prices,” he said.

The US-led effort marks a dramatic shift for Venezuela’s oil sector, once deeply linked to US firms prior to nationalisation and years of underinvestment that saw production collapse despite the country holding some of the largest oil reserves in the world.

While major firms like Chevron appear ready to expand output, others such as ExxonMobil have expressed reservations about investing in Venezuela without significant legal reforms and guarantees.

Critics warn that the US-centric approach could raise legal and geopolitical challenges, especially given the controversial nature of recent US military and economic actions in the region. Nonetheless, the Trump administration is pressing ahead with its plan to integrate Venezuelan oil into the global market under American oversight.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)