Venezuela's Energy Reawakening: Why Women Should Be Part of the Next Chapter

For women in energy, one of the Caribbean and Latin American region's most interesting emerging opportunities may be in a market many had written off: Venezuela.

The country possesses the world's largest proven crude oil reserves, but years of underinvestment, sanctions, infrastructure deterioration and loss of experienced personnel left production far below its potential. That picture is now changing rapidly.

In August 2026, Venezuela announced a 25-year energy agreement with the United States targeting the development of 17 strategic oilfields and production of more than 1.5 million barrels per day. International companies including Chevron, Eni, ONGC, GeoPark and GE Vernova are also reportedly moving toward agreements covering oil, gas and electricity projects.

For experienced energy professionals—and particularly women with operational, supply-chain, logistics, commercial and leadership expertise—this creates an important question:

Could Venezuela's energy redevelopment become one of the region's next significant career and business opportunities?

I believe it could.

This Is About Rebuilding an Energy Ecosystem

Increasing production is not simply a matter of restarting wells.

Oilfields require equipment, drilling services, marine logistics, shore bases, warehousing, procurement, transportation, lifting operations, inspection, maintenance, waste management, HSE systems, technology, trained personnel and reliable ports.

The scale of the capability requirement is already becoming apparent. At a recent Houston investment showcase, Venezuelan officials highlighted the need for capital, technology, equipment, services, infrastructure and workforce training to support redevelopment.

For women who have spent decades developing expertise in mature energy markets, this represents an opportunity not simply to join the industry, but potentially to help rebuild it.

Operations: Experience Will Be at a Premium

Venezuela does not lack resources. One of its challenges is restoring the operational capability required to exploit them efficiently, safely and sustainably.

There are already signs that experienced energy talent is returning as international investment increases and companies expand hiring. Industry reporting in August described the country's reopening as moving beyond contracts toward rebuilding human and operational capacity.

At the same time, SLB and PDVSA signed a long-term framework agreement in June covering exploration, field development, production, digital enablement and workforce training. Significantly, that collaboration specifically includes technology and AI enablement.

This creates potential opportunities for experienced women in:

• operations and asset management;

• HSE and operational assurance;

• project and programme management;

• supply-chain leadership;

• procurement and contract management;

• business development and commercial management;

• workforce development and competency assurance;

• digital transformation and AI implementation;

• sustainability and stakeholder engagement.

Women with experience operating in complex, safety-critical environments should not underestimate the value of that expertise.

Ports and Logistics Could Become a Major Opportunity

One area that particularly interests me is ports and energy logistics.

Increasing crude production means increasing movement of equipment and materials into the country—and greater volumes of hydrocarbons out.

Venezuela's energy infrastructure includes an extensive network of pipelines, refineries and export facilities. Historically, most crude exports were routed through the Puerto José terminal in northeastern Venezuela. Other strategically important locations include Puerto La Cruz, Bajo Grande, Maracaibo and the Amuay/Cardón refining and port infrastructure in western Venezuela.

But infrastructure is also one of the industry's biggest challenges.

Recent reporting indicates that deteriorated oil terminals are already creating export bottlenecks, with tanker loading delays attributed to aging infrastructure, power outages and crude-quality issues.

That problem is also an opportunity.

Venezuela will need expertise in port operations, terminal management, marine coordination, vessel planning, materials management, warehousing, heavy lifting, transportation, customs coordination and integrated logistics.

For professionals who have worked in energy logistics hubs elsewhere in the Caribbean, many of these challenges will be familiar.

The lesson from Trinidad, Guyana and other regional markets is clear: successful offshore development depends just as much on what happens onshore as what happens at the wellhead.

The Downstream Opportunity May Be Equally Significant

Venezuela's downstream sector represents another substantial redevelopment challenge.

The country's five refineries have combined nameplate crude-processing capacity of approximately 1.46 million barrels per day, including the 940,000-bpd Paraguaná Refining Center at Amuay and Cardón, the 310,000-bpd Puerto La Cruz refinery and the 187,000-bpd El Palito refinery. However, years of inadequate investment and maintenance have significantly constrained utilization.

Restoring these assets creates an entire secondary market for service providers.

Think about what refinery rehabilitation requires: engineering, inspection, maintenance, fabrication, rotating-equipment services, catalysts, scaffolding, cranes, industrial cleaning, tank services, transportation, warehousing, HSE, environmental services, procurement and specialist personnel.

The opportunity therefore extends far beyond the oil companies themselves.

Some of the most interesting opportunities may emerge among the companies servicing the companies producing and refining the oil.

From Trinidad to Guyana, Suriname—and Venezuela

There is a regional dimension that should not be overlooked.

Trinidad and Tobago has spent decades developing energy expertise across upstream operations, LNG, petrochemicals, marine services, logistics, fabrication and professional services.

Guyana has demonstrated how quickly an emerging petroleum province can generate demand for shore bases, marine logistics, local-content capability, warehousing, transportation and specialist services.

Suriname is now building its own offshore energy ecosystem.

Venezuela presents something different again: not building an industry from scratch, but rehabilitating one of the world's historically important petroleum industries.

For experienced Caribbean women, that distinction matters.

We possess regional knowledge, cultural understanding and, in many cases, decades of experience working with international operators and service companies. Those skills are transferable.

Women Should Not Wait for an Invitation

There is another lesson from previous energy booms.

Women cannot wait until industries are fully developed and then ask how they can participate.

We need to enter the conversation during the investment and development stage.

That means experienced women should be asking now:

Where will the new projects be?

Which international operators are entering?

Which EPC and service companies will support them?

Which ports and terminals require investment?

Where are the supply-chain gaps?

What skills will companies struggle to source?

And where could female executives, consultants and entrepreneurs provide those capabilities?

The opportunity is not limited to employment.

Experienced women can participate as consultants, advisors, entrepreneurs, service-company executives, board members, investors and strategic partners.

Experience Is an Asset—Not a Disadvantage

Much of today's workforce conversation understandably focuses on attracting young women into STEM and energy careers.

We should absolutely continue that work.

But the redevelopment of complex energy markets creates another requirement: experience.

A professional who has spent 20 or 25 years managing operations, leading teams, negotiating contracts, running supply chains, managing ports, responding to crises and working with multinational energy companies possesses knowledge that cannot be created overnight.

Venezuela's next energy chapter will require technology and capital.

It will also require people who know how to execute.

For experienced women across the Caribbean and the international energy industry, this could represent a unique moment to bring decades of accumulated knowledge into a market undergoing significant transformation.

The Next Chapter Should Look Different

Rebuilding Venezuela's energy industry should not mean recreating the workforce structures of the past.

It provides an opportunity to build something more modern—embracing digitalization, AI, sustainability, stronger governance, international operating standards and greater diversity in leadership.

Women should be part of that transformation from the beginning.

Not simply because diversity matters.

But because experience, operational competence and leadership matter.

Venezuela has the resources. International investment is returning. Infrastructure needs rebuilding. Ports and logistics need strengthening. Downstream facilities require rehabilitation. Technology and workforce capabilities need development.

That combination creates opportunity.

The question for experienced women in energy is whether we will watch Venezuela's next energy chapter being written—or help write it.

At Words Matter Communications, we believe women should be part of the story, the strategy and the leadership shaping the future of energy.