Related videos:
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a new license on Tuesday that authorizes the export and sale of diluents to Venezuela, according to a document shown to the Reuters agency by an administration official.
Dilutents are key fuels for producing exportable crude oil in the South American country, a member of OPEC, reported Reuters.
The measure is part of Washington's efforts to reactivate the Venezuelan oil industry following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro last month.
This is the second general license issued by the U.S. government to partially ease sanctions on Caracas.
The authorization also allows for the processing of payments from the Venezuelan government related to the approved operations.
Last week, the Treasury had already granted a broader license authorizing U.S. companies to load, transport, store, sell, and refine Venezuelan oil, as part of the same strategy of relaxation.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration's policy aims to support the controlled recovery of the Venezuelan energy sector, within the framework of the transition process overseen by Washington.
In this regard, the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, celebrated on Monday the departure of the vessel Chrysopigi Lady with the first shipment of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) exported from the country, which she described as “ahistoric milestone for the well-being of the people.”
In a message posted on his official X account, Rodríguez shared a video of the ship's departure and emphasized that “together with the working class, we are marking this historic milestone by exporting the country's first molecule of gas.”
The announcement comes just two days after the National Assembly approved a reform of the hydrocarbons law that allows for private, both national and foreign, investment in the extraction and marketing of oil and gas, ending over twenty years of absolute state control over PDVSA.
Additionally, the National Assembly of Venezuela unanimously approved a reform of the hydrocarbons law that authorizes the in oil exploitation and allows the direct participation of private companies in the sector, after more than two decades of strict state control over PDVSA.
Filed under: