Venezuela thread

[FelixDeCat]

The most interesting thing about Venezuela is that they produce heavy crude which is what American refiners are primarily designed to refine into gasoline. This is like the biggest jackpot ever for American refineries:

What’s the difference between heavy and light crude oils? And why do American refineries need both?

There are hundreds of varieties of crude oil around the world. Different types of oil require different refining processes to make the fuels we need in the quantities we need. Many American refineries need heavier crudes than what is largely produced in the United States.

www.afpm.org

Nearly 70% of U.S. refining capacity runs most efficiently with heavier crude. That is why 90% of crude oil imports into the United States are heavier than U.S.-produced shale crude.

Long before the U.S. shale boom, when global production of light sweet crude oil was declining, we made significant investments in our refineries to process heavier, high-sulfur crude oils that were more widely available in the global market. These investments were made to ensure U.S. refineries would have access to the feedstocks needed to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Heavier crude is now an essential feedstock for many U.S. refineries. Substituting it for U.S. light sweet crude oil would make these facilities less efficient and competitive, leading to a decline in fuel production and higher costs for consumers

 

[KMFJD]

majority of Venezula's oil is of the 'heavy' variety which is a pain to process, they also have huge oil deposits made from tar sands....also hard to process at current market prices, this is one reason (of many) no one wants to go in despite Madura saying please come back a month or so ago, i believe US oil companies rebuked trump on this as well)

 

[Fenixgoon]

The most interesting thing about Venezuela is that they produce heavy crude which is what American refiners are primarily designed to refine into gasoline. This is like the biggest jackpot ever for American refineries:

What’s the difference between heavy and light crude oils? And why do American refineries need both?

There are hundreds of varieties of crude oil around the world. Different types of oil require different refining processes to make the fuels we need in the quantities we need. Many American refineries need heavier crudes than what is largely produced in the United States.

www.afpm.org

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This isnt hitting the jackpot. This is beating the shit out of the guy who had the winning lottery ticket and pretending you won the jackpot.

Youre just as fucking stupid as trump. He thinks throwing throwing his name up on the kennedy center gives him any kind of legitimacy. All the people he wants to impress just think he's thay much more a piece of shit.

You think this makes america great and impresses the reat of the world, when really the rest of the world watches in horror as the US operates as a rogue state.

 

[borosp1]

It was never about drugs or a legitimately elected government, it’s about enriching Trump's cronies in the energy and minerals space.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2007554887576629714

 

[Brovane]

majority of Venezula's oil is of the 'heavy' variety which is a pain to process, they also have huge oil deposits made from tar sands....also hard to process at current market prices, this is one reason (of many) no one wants to go in despite Madura saying please come back a month or so ago, i believe US oil companies rebuked trump on this as well)

US oil refineries are optimized for processing "heavy" crude. This is why the US imports "high sulfur content" oil like Canadian tar sands and exports light sweet shale oil.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Price per barrel of oil are set by worldwide market forces. It really depends on how cheap it will be to get Venezuelan oil out of the ground and onto the worldwide market. This will highly depend on how well security can be established in Venezuela and I don't have high confidence.

If the price per barrel of oil remains low then this have negative impact on US Shale Oil which needs oil above $50+ a barrel to pump out of the ground to make a profit.

Market forces? It's set by OPEC.

 

[FelixDeCat]

This isnt hitting the jackpot. This is beating the shit out of the guy who had the winning lottery ticket and pretending you won the jackpot.

Youre just as fucking stupid as trump. He thinks throwing throwing his name up on the kennedy center gives him any kind of legitimacy. All the people he wants to impress just think he's thay much more a piece of shit.

You think this makes america great and impresses the reat of the world, when really the rest of the world watches in horror as the US operates as a rogue state.

Just because you want to sit there with herpes does not mean we cannot accept the situation as is. Venezuela will be free to have a leader who is not Maduro. And as I pointed it, it is a jackpot for the US. I get it, you hate Trump, but it is what is and we will have a democratic Venezuela one day and perhaps gasoline under $1.00 eventually.

 

[RnR_au]

majority of Venezula's oil is of the 'heavy' variety which is a pain to process, they also have huge oil deposits made from tar sands....also hard to process at current market prices, this is one reason (of many) no one wants to go in despite Madura saying please come back a month or so ago, i believe US oil companies rebuked trump on this as well)

Investment in Venezula's oil industry might also be risky since you are no longer riding on the coat tails of history. EV's are still growing their marketshare....

 

[Brovane]

Market forces? It's set by OPEC.

OPEC has influence but I can guarantee that oil prices are not at the level that Russia wants right now. Since the US became a major exporter of oil, OPEN influence has become significantly less.

Limitations to OPEC's Power:
Compliance Issues: Not all members strictly adhere to quotas, and enforcement is difficult, as U.S. Energy Information Administration notes.

Non-OPEC Producers: The rise of U.S. shale oil (fracking) and other non-OPEC sources provides alternative supply, reducing OPEC's control.

Global Demand & Politics: Geopolitical events, economic growth (or slowdowns), and consumer behavior heavily impact demand, acting as counterforces.

In essence, OPEC manages supply to nudge prices, but global market forces ultimately determine the final price, with OPEC acting as a major, but not sole, determinant.

 

[outriding]

So much for drill baby drill

I guess it is bomb baby bomb

 

[SteveGrabowski]

OPEC has influence but I can guarantee that oil prices are not at the level that Russia wants right now. Since the US became a major exporter of oil, OPEN influence has become significantly less.

Limitations to OPEC's Power:
Compliance Issues: Not all members strictly adhere to quotas, and enforcement is difficult, as U.S. Energy Information Administration notes.

Non-OPEC Producers: The rise of U.S. shale oil (fracking) and other non-OPEC sources provides alternative supply, reducing OPEC's control.

Global Demand & Politics: Geopolitical events, economic growth (or slowdowns), and consumer behavior heavily impact demand, acting as counterforces.

In essence, OPEC manages supply to nudge prices, but global market forces ultimately determine the final price, with OPEC acting as a major, but not sole, determinant.

OPEC increases production any time shale starts to get any momentum to ensure it's unprofitable.

 

[Brainonska511]

Most US refineries are optimized to process high sulfur content oil which is cheaper per barrel than the light shale crude that we export. So we export light shale oil and import high-sulfur content oil.

Perhaps, but oil prices are too low right now and the US is a net exporter, and has plenty of oil to refine as it is. Maybe some refiners have excess capacity, but who's going to do the leg work to invest in Venezuelan infrastructure and get oil out of the ground? This whole affair is Trump being a short-sighted fool as per usual, surrounded by viziers with their own stupid agendas.

 

[Brovane]

Perhaps, but oil prices are too high right now and the US is a net exporter, and has plenty of oil to refine as it is. Maybe some refiners have excess capacity, but who's going to do the leg work to invest in Venezuelan infrastructure and get oil out of the ground? This whole affair is Trump being a short-sighted fool as per usual, surrounded by viziers with their own stupid agendas.

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As of early January 2026, oil prices (Brent & WTI) are around $60-$61 per barrel, reflecting a significant drop of roughly 18-20% over the past year, with recent trends showing continued declines due to oversupply concerns, despite geopolitical support.

How are oil prices too high right now?

US oil producers would rather export shale oil because it gets a higher price on the world wide market and import cheaper heavy sulfur oil because US refineries are optimized for this. I had to explain this several years ago to Trump supporters who claimed that Biden made the US no longer energy independent because we imported oil. I had to explain to them how market forces work and why the US exported oil and imported oil at the same time.

 

[Brovane]

OPEC increases production any time shale starts to get any momentum to ensure it's unprofitable.

If that was true, the US wouldn't be the biggest oil producer in the world. Yet here we are.

 

[cytg111]

What?

 

[Brainonska511]

As of early January 2026, oil prices (Brent & WTI) are around $60-$61 per barrel, reflecting a significant drop of roughly 18-20% over the past year, with recent trends showing continued declines due to oversupply concerns, despite geopolitical support.

How are oil prices too high right now?

US oil producers would rather export shale oil because it gets a higher price on the world wide market and import cheaper heavy sulfur oil because US refineries are optimized for this. I had to explain this several years ago to Trump supporters who claimed that Biden made the US no longer energy independent because we imported oil. I had to explain to them how market forces work and why the US exported oil and imported oil at the same time.

It should have said *too low*.

Regardless of what you think US refiners want, who is going to deliver them the oil? Who's going to invest the billions in Venezuela's infrastructure? Who's going to risk seeing their investment blow up in a few years with political change?

 

[IronWing]

Just because you want to sit there with herpes dos not mean we cannot accept the situation as is. Venezuela will be free to have a leader who is not Maduro. And as I pointed it, it is a jackpot for the US. I get it, you hate Trump, but it is what is and we will have a democratic Venezuela one day and perhaps gasoline under $1.00 eventually.

US refineries have been operating at capacity for years. This is a jackpot American companies have no capacity to collect.

Back to the main point: Trump violated the Constitution in committing this war crime and needs to be impeached and removed from office. Every last service member who chose to participate in this war crime needs to be brought to justice and held accountable for their criminal conduct.

 

[borosp1]

Trump taking over 17.3 trillion in Venezuela's oil reserves which is almost half of US NATIONAL debt ($38 trillion). No mention on how or if it will benefit Venezuela's citizens (which more than likely will not) and will only benefit Trump and his cronies.

Venezuela's oil reserves are currently valued at approximately $17.3 trillion at current market prices of around $57 per barrel. The figure of $8 trillion likely comes from an estimate using half the prevailing market rate, which would still value the reserves at nearly $8.7 trillion.

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves, estimated at over 300 billion barrels. However, the country's oil industry faces significant challenges:

 

[K1052]

This would explain a lot of things. Trump going on TV and blurting out that we now own Venezuela was likely very much not part of whatever deal they made.

https://bsky.app/profile/labuzamovies.com%2Fpost%2F3mbkyyyif5c2m

 

[RnR_au]

Trump taking over 17.3 trillion in Venezuela's oil reserves which is almost half of US NATIONAL debt ($38 trillion). No mention on how or if it will benefit Venezuela's citizens (which more than likely will not) and will only benefit Trump and his cronies.

Given that the evidence is not lining up with Trump in getting the Venezuela oil fields developed, this valuation is completely and utterly wrong.

 

[FelixDeCat]

If that was true, the US wouldn't be the biggest oil producer in the world. Yet here we are.

Producer of light crude, which we mostly export because we mostly do not use.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Given that the evidence is not lining up with Trump in getting the Venezuela oil fields developed, this valuation is completely and utterly wrong.

Venezuelans in America were dancing in the streets here in DFW as they may soon be able to return home to see loved ones now that freedom will soon return to their country. We did the right thing today and Venezuelans are grateful to America for liberating them. The only losers here will be the criminals benefiting from the former dictatorship. They will certainly try to hold on to whatever power they can grasp.

Here is the rest of the word celebrating:

 

[K1052]

Venezuelans in America were dancing in the streets here in DFW as they may soon be able to return home to see loved ones now that freedom will soon return to their country. We did the right thing today and Venezuelans are grateful to America for liberating them. The only losers here will be the criminals benefiting from the former dictatorship. They will certainly try to hold on to whatever power they can grasp.

Here is the rest of the word celebrating:

The US is likely to empower an even more repressive VZ regime which we will then forcibly deport massive amounts of Venezuelans back to. Have fun everybody!

 

[K1052]

Producer of light crude, which we mostly export because we mostly do not use.

This is not remotely true. We are just really really good at fracking.

 

[Brovane]

It should have said *too low*.

Regardless of what you think US refiners want, who is going to deliver them the oil? Who's going to invest the billions in Venezuela's infrastructure? Who's going to risk seeing their investment blow up in a few years with political change?

It isn't what I think what US refiners want, it is what US refiners are optimized to refine and that is oil with high sulfur content. Don't believe me, will you believe the US Energy Information Administration? Over 50% of US oil imports is from Canada and they export mainly a heavy sour crude from oil sands.

Although large quantities of crude oil are produced in the United States, it still imports crude oil to meet domestic refining needs. Crude oils vary in qualities, including API gravity and sulfur content. Sweet crude oils have relatively low sulfur content, and sour crude oils have relatively high sulfur content. The U.S. refining complex is advanced and capable of refining heavier, more sour crude oils, which generally cost less than lighter, sweeter grades of crude oil.

The United States produces lighter crude oil, imports heavier crude oil




As far as getting oil out of Venezuela, I had posted this earlier. It really depends on how cheap it will be to get Venezuelan oil out of the ground and onto the worldwide market. This will highly depend on how well security can be established in Venezuela and I don't have high confidence. Chevron is already in Venezuela but I still don't have high confidence that this will work out how some people on the right think this will work out.

Historically the US has sucked at nation building and we have a long list of failures at that. I don't have any confidence in the Trump administration being able to navigate creating a stable government in Venezuela that will create a stable enough environment to exploit the oil resources in Venezuela at a price that will be attractive for investment. I am happy to be proven wrong, but I have a lot of doubts especially with the S@#tshow from the current administration.