Energy and natural resources Oil, gas, mining, minerals and gold
Energy & Natural Resources
Oil, gas, mining, minerals and gold.
This is the sector we get asked about most, and the one where the first question is never about the asset.
Energy and natural resources Oil, gas, mining, minerals and gold
Venezuela holds some of the largest proven oil reserves in the world, along with substantial gas, iron, bauxite, coltan and gold. It is also the sector where ownership is most often state-linked, where international sanctions regimes apply most directly, and where the counterparty matters more than the opportunity.
We do not broker access here, and we would be careful of anyone who says they can. What we do is help you understand the structure before you spend money on it.
What a first conversation covers
- 01Who actually controls a given asset, and whether that entity is one you can lawfully deal with
- 02Which permits, concessions and registrations exist, and which are claimed but not held
- 03What sanctions screening your own counsel will need to run, and what it will look at
- 04Which parts of the sector are open to private participation and which are not
- 05Where the sector currently stands, rather than where it stood when the last article was written
Sanctions regimes in this sector change, and they are enforced. Nothing on this page is a legal opinion or a clearance. Any transaction here needs your own counsel and current screening before money or commitments move.
Energy and natural resources
The sector we are asked about most, and where the first question is never about the asset.
Can a foreign investor participate in Venezuelan oil, gas or mining?
Parts of the sector are open to private participation and parts are not, and the line moves. That is precisely why the first piece of work is establishing what a given asset actually is and who controls it, before anyone spends money on a structure that may not be available.
What is the sanctions position?
International sanctions regimes apply directly in this sector, they change, and they are enforced. We are not a source of legal clearance and nothing we say is a legal opinion. What we do is help you understand what your own counsel will need to screen, and who the counterparties in front of you actually are, before you commit.
Someone has offered me access to a concession. Is that normal?
Bring it to us and we will tell you what we think. We do not broker access in this sector and we are wary of anyone who says they can. A great many offers in this space do not survive a look at who holds the permit.
What about gold?
Gold is the part of this sector with the most attention on it, from several directions at once. It needs the most diligence of anything on this page and the least improvisation. We are happy to talk it through, and the conversation will be mostly about counterparties and provenance rather than volumes.
Do you introduce investors to projects here?
No. Our work in this sector is orientation and structure: what exists, who controls it, what your counsel will need to check. Introductions in a sector this exposed are not something we offer.
Not sure where to start?
Una primera conversación práctica sobre sus planes, sus preguntas y sus próximos pasos.
Most people who talk to us are not ready to buy anything or move. That is the normal starting point, not a problem. We are here to help!
30 minutes, on Google Meet