Venezuela's Hydrocarbons Law Reform: A New Era for Oil Operations

A newly proposed reform to Venezuela's hydrocarbons law could enable foreign and local firms to independently operate oilfields, commercialize their output, and retain sales proceeds even as minority partners. This change aims to overhaul the oil industry but faces constitutional challenges.

A potential shake-up in Venezuela's oil industry looms as a proposed reform of the hydrocarbons law has surfaced. The reform could allow foreign and local companies to independently manage oilfields, commercialize their production, and keep sales revenue, even as minority partners to the state-owned PDVSA.

Submitted by Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez, the reform awaits National Assembly discussion. It aims to revise Hugo Chavez's critical oil law amidst a historic 50-million-barrel supply deal with Washington. This deal follows the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro, according to U.S. President Donald Trump.

The reform faces legal hurdles as experts warn of conflicts with Venezuela's Constitution, which reserves key oil activities for the state. Additionally, opposed by independent lawyers, the proposal demands the scrapping of numerous related laws and shifts PDVSA's joint venture foundation to production-sharing contract models.