Francisco J. Monaldi

The New Venezuelan Hydrocarbons Law: Scope, Intent, and Viability | Baker Institute On Jan. 29, 2026, Venezuela’s National Assembly approved a major overhaul of the law governing the oil industry, opening the sector to private investment, reducing royalties and taxes, and offering in...

Join us. This Thursday February 12th.
www.bakerinstitute.org/event/new-ve...

Without Institutional Change, Venezuela’s Oil Bonanza Remains Unviable Sanctions relief, a democratic transition, and deep reforms are essential to recover production.

Please check my op-ed

Without Institutional Change, Venezuela’s Oil Bonanza Remains Unviable americasquarterly.org/article/with...

Fixing the Venezuelan oil industry will take time, money, and—most importantly—institutional change Francisco Monaldi

Fixing the Venezuelan oil industry will take time, money, and—most importantly—institutional change
open.substack.com/pub/fmonaldi...

Fixing the Venezuelan oil industry will take time, money, and—most importantly—institutional change Francisco Monaldi

Fixing the Venezuelan oil industry will take time, money, and—most importantly—institutional change
open.substack.com/pub/fmonaldi...

U.S. seeks to tap Venezuela's vast oil reserves after military strikes. Here's what to know. President Trump said "we're going to get the oil flowing the way it should be" after the surprise U.S. attack. Here's what to know about Venezuela's oil sector.

"Francisco J. Monaldi, director of the Latin America energy program at Rice University, predicted it would take at least a decade — and investments of more than $100 billion

@fmonaldi.bsky.social #Venezuela

www.cbsnews.com/news/venezue...

Trump wants U.S. oil companies in Venezuela. Here's what to know President Trump wants more U.S. oil companies to "go in" to Venezuela. But there are economic, historical, and climate reasons that may not be easy. Here's what you need to know about oil in Venezuela...

Teenage me who decided to become an oil reporter in '03 because of the Iraq war 🤝 this moment

Here's NPR's explainer about Venezuela's oil industry🇻🇪 🛢️ (and Guyana's too 🇬🇾 🛢️)

Featuring @paashamahdavi.com @fmonaldi.bsky.social and more

Does Venezuela have the largest PROVEN oil reserves in the world (some 300 billion barrels), as it is generally (and officially) claimed? The short answer is NO. Venezuela has massive RESOURCES on the ground.

What's at Stake with Venezuela's Oil Industry as US Military Activities Escalate The Trump Administration has gotten increasingly aggressive in its relations with Nicholas Maduro's government in Venezuela, accumulating a historic volume of US military capability in the Caribbean a...

clearcommodity.net/podcasts/oil...

🎙️ NEW PODCAST 🎧

The US has built up a *massive* military force off Venezuela’s coast and feels poised to strike

In the latest episode of the Oil Ground Up podcast, I spoke with
@fmonaldi.bsky.social to help me understand what’s happening and what’s at stake for VZ’s oil industry.

Welcome to the planet’s newest oil frontier | CNN The region is seeing a boom in fossil fuels just as the impacts of the climate crisis really bite. It’s raising thorny questions about who gets to benefit from planet-heating oil.

With my commentary

www.cnn.com/2025/11/10/c...

So, for all practical purposes, Venezuela has infinite oil, although costlier and less valuable that the ones of its peers in the Middle East. At current oil prices Venezuela could produce 5-7 times as much oil as it produces. The problem is not below ground; it is above it and it is political...

Does it matter? Not that much. Venezuela still has the largest reserves outside of the Middle East (with perhaps the exception of Canada) and most likely will never run out of oil.

So, a reasonable and conservative estimate of RESERVES would be closer to 100-110 billion barrels (around 80% extra-heavy). In fact, the leading oil consultancies use a much lower estimate for Venezuela's reserves.

But Venezuela has not audited the reserves, only the resources in place. And in reality, it only recovers about 7-8% of the extra-heavy oil on the ground, instead of the 20% recovery figure it used to claim the official figure of reserves.

The US Geological Survey estimates about 500 billion barrels of technically recoverable barrels in the Orinoco Belt (close to half of the oil resources below the ground). That number is huge, equivalent to about a third of global proven reserves.

Does Venezuela have the largest PROVEN oil reserves in the world (some 300 billion barrels), as it is generally (and officially) claimed? The short answer is NO. Venezuela has massive RESOURCES on the ground.

Venezuelan Regime Change May Open Oil's Floodgates Despite sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves, it’s a sad truth that Venezuela doesn’t matter for the energy markets. With production languishing near its lowest in a century, American saber-r...

www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

LatAm in Focus: Energy and Security Go Hand in Hand in the Caribbean Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch outlines Guyana’s geopolitical importance while the Baker Institute’s Francisco Monaldi analyzes the region’s energy trajectory.

🎙️ New #LatAmFocus: Energy and Security Go Hand in Hand in the Caribbean

As tensions rise in the south Caribbean, Sarah-Ann Lynch outlines Guyana’s geopolitical importance, and @fmonaldi.bsky.social of the @bakerinstitute.bsky.social analyzes the region’s energy sector.

Listen: ow.ly/PQ9F50X5FOr

news.rice.edu/news/2025/ri...

With my commentary

REACTION: Irfaan Ali Claims Reelection Victory in Guyana

americasquarterly.org/article/reac...

YouTube video by IESA School of Management Geopolítica del petróleo y el gas con el profesor Francisco Monaldi #IESAalumniHouston #Vacc #Cavex

youtu.be/XKRrDiy6jHs?...

Entrevista Dr. Francisco Monaldi, Director del Programa de Energía para Latinoamérica del Baker Institute de la Universidad de Rice.   - Energy Insights Muchas gracias por acompañarnos en esta entrevista para Energy Insights. Doctor Francisco Monaldi, director del programa...

energyinsights.mx/entrevista-d...

Two Paths to Prosperity How the social organization of Europe and China shaped their divergent economic and political trajectories over the past millennium

Two Paths to Prosperity | Princeton University Press press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Francisco Monaldi: “En las escuelas de negocios de EE.UU. se estudia el caso YPF como un caso de corrupción para favorecer a un grupo cercano al gobierno” Vaca Muerta: ¿está en riesgo la tabla de salvación de la macro argentina? De Repsol a Néstor Kirchner y los Eskenazi, ¿intervencionismo estatal con corrupción? El especialista hizo su análisis

www.lanacion.com.ar/conversacion...

Please check out my view on the recent events in the Venezuelan oil sector for the
@The_Dialogue
's Latin America Energy Advisor.

Do not wait to read it because everything could change with a social media post! 😉

Join us for this discussion to understand the impact of U.S. measures on #Venezuela. I am excited to host this conversation with experts Drs. @fmonaldi.bsky.social @antuliorosales.bsky.social and Luisa Palacio. See details here 👇

¿Quiénes serán los afectados si Trump impone aranceles a los productos de países que le compren petróleo a Venezuela? Responde hoy en "Y esto no es todo" desde Houston un experto: @fmonaldi.bsky.social del Baker Institute de la Universidad de Rice. Óigalo aquí: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FHh...