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Released September 26, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land,
Texas)--Problems with a furnace forced the state-run oil company in Venezuela to shutter parts of its Amuay refinery, creating further headwinds for the country's fuel output.
Industrial Info reported Wednesday that Petróleos de Venezuela (Caracas, Venezuela), known also as PDVSA, was forced to shut down nearly half of the production capacity at the Amuay refinery. Boasting a nameplate processing capacity of 205,000 barrels per day (BBL/d), the issue was caused by a furnace failure.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more about the Amuay refinery here.
Industrial Info currently expects the facility to come back online by the end of the month. As an indication of the nature of Venezuela's crumbling infrastructure, IIR found that Amuay experienced outages at least a half-dozen times this year. PDVSA earlier this month opted to delay scheduled maintenance at the plant until the middle of next year, and the company had already flagged the need for emergency repairs before the refinery's most recent outage.
The facility was operating at reduced rates for much of June and July. A blackout in June, meanwhile, prompted PDVSA to transfer equipment from Amuay to the nearby Cardon refinery, among Venezuela's largest.
Subscribers can learn more about the Cardon refinery here.
That comes as Reuters on Tuesday claimed an exclusive by reporting that mandates outlined by the U.S. Treasury Department mean Chevron (Houston, Texas) can only export about half of what its joint venture partners in Venezuela can produce. Because of payment restrictions, Chevron is forced to pay taxes and royalties with oil rather than cash, limiting what it can deliver
. Bilateral tensions are high, meanwhile, as U.S. President Donald Trump ordered military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug runners. Last month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro "will not escape justice" after the U.S. government increased its award for his arrest from $25 million to $50 million, accusing Venezuela's president of trafficking drugs.
Data from the U.S. federal government nevertheless show Venezuela recently passed Libya to become the 9th largest crude oil exporter to the U.S. economy. Because many U.S. refineries are designed to run heavier grades of crude oil, the economy relies heavily on the likes of Canada, Mexico and others to meet demand. Venezuela produces the heavy Merey 16 grade, though the lack of diluent makes it difficult to move it through export corridors.
Over the seven-day period ending September 19, federal data show the U.S. economy took in 143,000 BBL/d from Venezuela, compared to 99,000 BBL/d the prior week. Secondary sources reporting to economists at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Venezuela is a founding member, put second-quarter oil production at 924,000 BBL/d, compared with fourth-quarter 2024 levels of 905,000 BBL/d.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Industrial Info reported Wednesday that Petróleos de Venezuela (Caracas, Venezuela), known also as PDVSA, was forced to shut down nearly half of the production capacity at the Amuay refinery. Boasting a nameplate processing capacity of 205,000 barrels per day (BBL/d), the issue was caused by a furnace failure.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more about the Amuay refinery here.
Industrial Info currently expects the facility to come back online by the end of the month. As an indication of the nature of Venezuela's crumbling infrastructure, IIR found that Amuay experienced outages at least a half-dozen times this year. PDVSA earlier this month opted to delay scheduled maintenance at the plant until the middle of next year, and the company had already flagged the need for emergency repairs before the refinery's most recent outage.
The facility was operating at reduced rates for much of June and July. A blackout in June, meanwhile, prompted PDVSA to transfer equipment from Amuay to the nearby Cardon refinery, among Venezuela's largest.
Subscribers can learn more about the Cardon refinery here.
That comes as Reuters on Tuesday claimed an exclusive by reporting that mandates outlined by the U.S. Treasury Department mean Chevron (Houston, Texas) can only export about half of what its joint venture partners in Venezuela can produce. Because of payment restrictions, Chevron is forced to pay taxes and royalties with oil rather than cash, limiting what it can deliver
. Bilateral tensions are high, meanwhile, as U.S. President Donald Trump ordered military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug runners. Last month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro "will not escape justice" after the U.S. government increased its award for his arrest from $25 million to $50 million, accusing Venezuela's president of trafficking drugs.
Data from the U.S. federal government nevertheless show Venezuela recently passed Libya to become the 9th largest crude oil exporter to the U.S. economy. Because many U.S. refineries are designed to run heavier grades of crude oil, the economy relies heavily on the likes of Canada, Mexico and others to meet demand. Venezuela produces the heavy Merey 16 grade, though the lack of diluent makes it difficult to move it through export corridors.
Over the seven-day period ending September 19, federal data show the U.S. economy took in 143,000 BBL/d from Venezuela, compared to 99,000 BBL/d the prior week. Secondary sources reporting to economists at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Venezuela is a founding member, put second-quarter oil production at 924,000 BBL/d, compared with fourth-quarter 2024 levels of 905,000 BBL/d.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
