snapinadil/Shutterstock Save for later Print Download Share LinkedIn Twitter Venezuela is exploring whether a path back to global energy markets could run through its long-stalled natural gas sector. Pedro Rafael Tellechea, the country’s joint oil minister and chief of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), has been pushing ahead on gas projects with international potential despite unclear prospects for US sanctions relief. At a recent Caracas event, Tellechea teased the potential for natural gas export permits by the end of this year for companies like Spain’s Repsol and Italy’s Eni, who operate the giant 17 trillion cubic feet Perla gas field that has long underperformed due to lack of investment and international sanctions. “We need to become natural gas exporters,” he said at the event, also promising an update to Venezuela’s gas reserve evaluation.
