Sou Hu Cai Jing·2026-01-11 21:52Group 1 - The U.S. military's recent actions in Venezuela have created an environment that President Trump claims is "absolutely safe" for American oil companies to invest in [1][3] - Venezuela possesses the largest oil reserves in the world, with over 300 billion barrels, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Canada [3][5] - Despite its vast reserves, Venezuela's oil production has drastically declined from 3.5 million barrels per day in the late 1990s to around 1 million barrels per day currently, accounting for less than 1% of global production [5][9] Group 2 - Chevron is currently the only major U.S. oil company still operating in Venezuela, while ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips express significant caution regarding investment due to past asset seizures [5][11] - Smaller oil companies have shown a willingness to invest in Venezuela, contrasting with the hesitance of larger firms [11][16] - The restoration of Venezuela's oil industry is estimated to require an investment of $110 billion just for exploration and production to return to levels seen 15 years ago [11][13] Group 3 - The U.S. energy market's reaction to the situation in Venezuela has been muted, with no immediate impact on oil prices or gasoline costs observed [9][16] - Experts suggest that U.S. companies will only return to Venezuela if there are guarantees of investment returns and security [9][13] - The complexities of Venezuela's oil industry, including the need for significant infrastructure investment and the challenges posed by the current political climate, make immediate investment unlikely [5][11][13]