Venezuela's Natural Resources, Oil Reform, and Sovereignty

Venezuela’s January 2026 hydrocarbons law reform marks a major shift in the country’s oil sector. It establishes a more flexible fiscal regime in the name of “international competitiveness,” while expanding the private sector role in extraction, operations, and dispute resolution mechanisms. The reform follows years of US sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry and coincides with new US licenses allowing Western conglomerates to move into Venezuela's energy sector. Join Blas Regnault, energy policy analyst and consultant focused on oil geopolitics, alongside Venezuelanalysis editors Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner, as they break down the reform, its economic and political context, and what it means for control over strategic resources and national sovereignty.

You can listen to Venezuela's Natural Resources, Oil Reform, and Sovereignty online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Venezuela's Natural Resources, Oil Reform, and Sovereignty is an episode from Venezuelanalysis by José Luis Granados Ceja.

This episode is 70:32 long.

This episode was published on Apr 22, 2026.

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