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Venezuela intends to reach 1.23 mln bpd of oil output in Dec, minister says

Venezuela intends to produce 1.23 million barrels daily (bpd). of oil in December, including about 290,000 bpd compared to the. start of the year, following the addition of drilling rigs, oil. minister Pedro Tellechea stated on Friday.

The growth follows a 6-month broad license granted by. the U.S. Treasury Department to Venezuela's oil sector last. year. Washington has actually suspended that alleviating, however is issuing. individual permissions to energy companies in Venezuela.

We don't need a license to keep producing, Tellechea told. press reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Caracas, referring. to state oil business PDVSA's operations. We are not going to. stop because of some companies' need for U.S. licenses.

He confirmed that Spanish energy business Repsol. just recently gotten approval from the U.S. Treasury Department to. expand its joint ventures with PDVSA, and said that 20 other. business are lining up for individual licenses, including those. related to joint gas developments with Trinidad and Tobago.

The South American nation currently has 25 active drilling. rigs, which pushed oil output to 924,000 bpd this month from. 860,000 bpd in January, and delivered 102,200 bpd of gasoline. and 23,500 bpd of diesel to the domestic market, Tellechea. included.

Venezuela has actually repeatedly had a hard time to meet previous functional. objectives. Production and exports have actually increased over the last few years,. however crude output remains at a fraction of the 3.7 million bpd it. averaged two decades ago.

The federal government is not preparing to increase domestic gas. prices, the minister said.

Following the loss of about $400 million by Poland's Orlen. primarily connected to undelivered Venezuelan crude freights. that had actually been prepaid for, Tellechea said PDVSA has no. relationship with the refining company.

We have actually asked our embassy in Poland to reach. the business to gather details. We have no contract or. intent to do a contract, he said.

A Swiss system of Orlen paid two Dubai-based intermediary. firms $330 million for Venezuelan oil, but PDVSA never ever received. the cash, according to sources and documents.

PDVSA, which stays under U.S. sanctions initially enforced in. 2019, because last year has needed prepayment for at least 50%. of the worth of exportable freights. The relocation looked for to avoid. unpaid shipments that made a large hole in its accounts through. the end of 2022.