Venezuela’s Energy Sector Primes for a Thaw

October was a busy month for Venezuela. The United States eased sanctions on the country’s oil sector, the opposition and the Maduro regime sketched out an electoral roadmap, and María Corina Machado triumphed in the opposition primary. What does all this mean for the country’s energy sector? 

"I estimate that instead of getting half a billion dollars per month, they will be getting closer to a billion dollars per month. So, it's a very important amount of money that Maduro could use to improve his electoral chances by spending money for electoral purposes," says Francisco Monaldi, a fellow and the director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute. He spoke with AS/COA Venezuela Working Group Director Guillermo Zubillaga about the outlook for the sector and Venezuela's 2024 elections. 

This podcast was produced by Jon Orbach. Carin Zissis is the host. Luisa Leme is the executive producer.

Listen to an Americas Quarterly’s interview with the White House’s Juan Gonzalez that is mentioned in the episode: t.ly/foX6f

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