Another Socialist Success: Venezuela Imports Oil from U.S.

Venezuela’s heavy crude oil needs to be diluted with lighter petroleum products so that it can be refined into fuels. The Independent reports that as a result of the ongoing collapse of domestic refining, the South American country is now obliged to import about 200,000 barrels a day of diluents from the United States. The Venezuelan government sells gasoline at 1 cent per liter (80 cents in the U.S.). Even with the fanciful assumption that all the petroleum in a barrel could be refined into vehicle fuel, a rough calculation implies a value of $1.60 per barrel. The diluents from the U.S. cost about $80 to $90 per barrel.

“One of the craziest things is that a part of Venezuela’s imports is for the domestic market, but given its price, they practically give gasoline away for free,” Francisco Monaldi, a fellow in Latin American energy policy at Rice University, tells The Independent. “They are importing barrels that cost $80 to $90 and selling them at $0.” read more here: https://reason.com/blog/2018/04/30/another-socialist-success-venezuela-impo