Oil supermajor Chevron (CVX) plans to invest over $7 billion over the next five years to more than double its crude oil production in Venezuela to about 600,000 barrels per day, it said on Wednesday.
The terms for the company's joint ventures in the country have been updated following agreements with Venezuela to boost the competitiveness of long-term investments.
"With total costs of less than $20 per barrel and a large resource base, Venezuela is a platform of differentiated oil growth under Chevron's disciplined cash management model," the company said.
Through the joint venture Petroindependencia, where Chevron's subsidiary holds a 49% interest, the company's acreage in the Orinoco Belt will expand with the assignment of rights to develop the Carabobo-1 and Carabobo-2 South A areas.
Petroindependencia was earlier assigned the rights to develop the Ayacucho 8 area.
Chevron's joint ventures in the country include Petroindependencia and Petropiar, both of which operate extra-heavy oil projects in the Orinoco Oil Belt, and Petroboscan, which is located in Western Venezuela.
Production at the three joint ventures has grown 15% year-to-date, according to the company.
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