Venezuelan proposals for a summit between OPEC and non-OPEC producers are advancing, and should focus on bolstering oil prices rather than limiting volumes, government officials said Tuesday.
The country seeks a fair price for oil that will support economic growth and energy demand, Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said in an interview at Tuesday’s meeting between Venezuela and Saudi Arabia officials in Caracas. The oil price floor Venezuela is suggesting would be analyzed every quarter, he said.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has come under pressure from Venezuela and some other members to take action after the group decided last November not to reduce output. Saudi Arabia led OPEC’s decision to compete for market share against US shale producers rather than support prices. Oil in New York and London reached six-year lows last month amid excess global supply.
The man who last month helped blow up a $1.6billion bid for Pacific Rubiales is now urging Latin America’s largest independent oil producer to expand amid the worst crude meltdown in decades.
Venezuela is pushing for an emergency OPEC meeting as well as joint coordination with Russia in a bid to stem the decline in oil price.
President Nicolas Maduro said the cash-strapped country had called for a meeting to take place and said it had been in contact with all OPEC governments.
He said:"We're working towards a special OPEC meeting, in coming days we'll announce .... We're making contacts with OPEC governments.
Algeria, Angola, Iran and Nigeria are interested in blending their light oil with Venezuela's heavy oil to get better a price for their crude, the president of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA said on Monday.
A World Bank tribunal has ordered Venezuela to pay oil giant ExxonMobil about $1.6billion to compensate for oil nationalisation.
Venezuela said it would pay the award, but only after deducting a previous Exxon award from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) of $908million.
