U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright gestures as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles looks on, during a U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with an oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 9, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday that
Chevron saw a pathway to grow its Venezuela production by 50%,
with his comments coming after a meeting that President Donald
Trump had with oil companies on the South American nation.
Chevron “said with the actions that were taken and some
additional things we can do for them, .. which is just
permissions, approvals,” Wright said. He added that the company
sees “a pathway to grow their production by 50% in the next
18-24 months.”
Wright also said that Washington’s interactions with Venezuela
have been “fantastic” after ousted leader Nicolas Maduro was
seized by the U.S. military in a raid in the South American
country last weekend.
Trump met with executives from some of the world’s largest
oil companies at the White House on Friday to discuss Venezuela.
“Tremendous interest,” Wright said when asked if the White House
received any firm commitments from oil companies on Friday.
Trump ordered the U.S. military to seize Maduro, who was
brought to New York.
The U.N. human rights office has said the U.S. actions in
Venezuela were a violation of international law that made the
world less safe.
Trump said this week the U.S. will maintain oversight of
Venezuela for “much longer” than a year. Administration
officials have expressed a desire to control Venezuela’s oil
sales and revenues indefinitely, saying it will ensure the
country acts in America’s interests. Some U.S. rivals and Latin
American nations have cast the U.S. actions as “unilateral,
illegal and bullying acts.”
Published on January 10, 2026
