Donald Trump has asked for at least $100bn (£75bn) in oil industry spending for Venezuela, but received a lukewarm response at the White House as one executive warned the South American country was currently “uninvestable”.

Bosses of the biggest US oil firms who attended the meeting acknowledged that Venezuela, sitting on vast energy reserves, represented an enticing opportunity.

But they said significant changes would be needed to make the region an attractive investment. No major financial commitments were immediately forthcoming.

  • Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    20 hours ago

    Yeah, this is why every article that mentions Venezuelas huge oil reserves needs to also mention it is the costliest/ lowest margin oil too. Not all oil reserves are the same, the Saudis being able to pull a barrel out for $15 and sell it for $80 is a way different position then Venezuela pulling a barrel out for $60 and selling it for $70.

    It is probably just part of the media manufacturing consent for regime change: “look how resource rich Venezuela is and how poor the people are, it must be because the evil Maduro regime” completely ignoring sanctions. Yeah mismanagement is part of the reason Venezuela is doing poorly but even if they were run perfectly with no corruption they still wouldn’t be living like the Saudis.

    • TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      16 hours ago

      Yep. Canada’s tar sands are similar. Low grade tar that can be sold for cheap or upgraded for profit. Either way though even without counting labour standards and wages it costs twice as much to pull it out of the ground and we’ll sell it for half as much