The U.S. special military operations in Venezuela are paying off.
An oil refinery in Mississippi is refining hundreds of thousands of barrels of Venezuelan oil.
Chevron’s oil refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, is one of the few remaining in the United States and processes millions of barrels of oil each week.
AOL reported more on the ongoing processing of Venezuelan oil:
The Minerva Gloria is docked at a wharf in the Mississippi Sound, not far from the US’s vast oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.
The ship, 820ft (250m) long, painted navy and burgundy, is carrying precious cargo from Venezuela that, just six months ago, would have been impossible to bring to the US – 400,000 barrels of crude oil.
Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves. Under Venezuela’s former president Nicholas Maduro oil exports had dropped significantly, due to a lack of investment. Then came US sanctions against any imports from the Latin American country.
But US President Donald Trump vowed to tap those reserves after the US military captured Maduro in a surprise, night-time raid in January.
Now the oil is flowing again in Venezuela. In March, the country’s monthly crude exports surpassed one million barrels per day. The first time since September.
As the world reels from the impact on global energy prices caused by Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, big oil and gas companies like Chevron are now importing Venezuelan crude oil by the shipload.
“It’s a big deal not only for Chevron but the entire Gulf region,” says Tim Potter. He is the director for Chevron’s oil refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the company’s largest operation in the US. It is also the only major US oil company currently operating in Venezuela.
Together this means that Chevron can extract its own Venezuelan oil, process it itself, and get it directly to the US consumer.
“It’s a pretty big incentive for us to run it,” Potter says. “The refinery was really designed, and we invested in the refinery, to run heavy oils like from Venezuela.”
Venezuelan crude oil is relatively cheap to buy because it is much more difficult to process. It is very heavy, thick, dark and high in sulfur, often called a sour oil. It is used to make diesel, gasoline (petrol), jet fuel and other products.
ADVERTISEMENTChevron now imports the equivalent of 250,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day, on average, says Andy Walz, president of downstream, midstream and chemicals at Chevron.
President Trump has shared that Venezuelan oil is being refined in Texas, too:
Trump Touts Venezuelan Oil Boom, says 100 million Barrels Are Being Refined in Houston
President Calls U.S.–Venezuela Relationship “Fantastic,” Suggests Energy Partnership Could Be Long-Term as More Crude Heads to Texas#WashingtonEye pic.twitter.com/Pv0epac9ED
— Washington Eye (@washington_EY) April 6, 2026
The Texas Tribune reported more on Texas oil refineries getting their hands on Venezuelan oil:
Texas oil refiners could soon have a stronger appetite for Venezuelan oil thanks to decreasing crude imports from Mexico as the Trump administration seeks to open Venezuela’s energy sector to U.S. companies.
Refiners along the U.S. Gulf Coast are among the world’s largest buyers of heavy crude oil — a variety with a peanut butter-like consistency that is more costly to extract and refine than Texas’ light sweet grade. For years, Texas refiners’ most prolific sources of heavy crude have been Canada, Mexico and Venezuela.
But after the Trump administration sent U.S. forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, then promised to take control of Venezuela’s oil sales, Gulf Coast refiners are eyeing the possibility of increased Venezuelan oil imports. Within hours of Maduro’s capture, Trump placed a heavy emphasis on the country’s oil, saying that U.S. oil companies will be “taking a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.”
It remains unclear how much U.S. oil companies are willing to invest in increasing Venezuelan oil production. Many have said that they are seeking financial, legal and security assurances from the Trump administration before spending the billions of dollars necessary to significantly boost production levels.
ADVERTISEMENTCompanies like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are taking a cautious stance after their projects were seized by the Venezuelan government in 2007. Both companies continue to pursue compensation through international arbitration cases.
What’s your assessment?
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!