By Laura Gamba
BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez toured key oil facilities in the Orinoco Belt on Thursday.
Wright’s high-profile visit to Venezuela follows a political shift on Jan. 3, when US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro during a military operation in Caracas amid claims by the Trump administration that he led a "corrupt, illegitimate government" involved in a massive drug trafficking network that smuggled cocaine into the US.
This has prompted the US government to significantly ease longstanding sanctions and dismantle an oil embargo to revitalize Venezuela's energy sector.
During his tour of Petroindependencia—a joint venture between Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA and US-based major Chevron—Wright was seen in full safety gear evaluating the infrastructure of the Monagas state facility.
"We expect to see 30%-40% growth in Venezuelan oil production this year," he told reporters. "We’ve got to change the game here for a win for Venezuelans, a win for America, and a win for our entire Hemisphere."
Experts accompanying the delegation confirmed that while Petroindependencia currently produces roughly 40,000 barrels per day, its existing infrastructure has the untapped potential to reach 300,000 barrels a day with immediate investment and technical repairs.
The visit comes just one day after Wright officially declared the US oil embargo on Venezuela ended.
“The oil quarantine has obviously essentially ended,” he told reporters at a press conference.
Following a meeting in Caracas with Rodriguez and US Chargé d’Affaires Laura Dogu, Wright described the previous decade of sanctions as a "quarantine" that has finally been lifted to stabilize global markets.
US President Donald Trump echoed this optimism from Washington on Thursday, describing current relations between the two nations as an "extraordinary" moment of cooperation.
In the afternoon, Wright was scheduled to visit Petropiar, another massive Orinoco operation. His agenda also includes high-level meetings with private business executives to evaluate existing contracts and ensure they align with the "best interests of the Western Hemisphere."
Wednesday’s meeting marked the first time a member of President Trump’s Cabinet has visited Venezuela.
Under Maduro, Trump did send a special envoy, Richard Grenell, to the country to negotiate for the release of US prisoners, but Grenell’s negotiations with Venezuela´s government ended in October as Washington ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan government.