Key facts
- Venezuela's refineries are processing approximately 350,000 b/d of crude.
- The current output is sufficient to meet domestic gasoline demand.
- Investments in the refining system are helping PdV avoid gasoline imports.
- Production levels have improved since late 2025.
- Venezuela continues to import naphtha, primarily from the US.
Venezuela's refineries are currently processing approximately 350,000 barrels per day of crude, a figure described as realistic by an unnamed source within PdV's refining sector. This output is sufficient to meet the country's domestic gasoline demand, which ranges between 200,000 and 300,000 b/d. PdV president Hector Obregon stated that investments in the refining system are enabling the company to avoid gasoline imports, marking an improvement from late 2025 when production was significantly lower.
In late 2025, PdV executive vice president Jovanny Martinez reported gasoline production at 108,000 b/d and diesel at 53,700 b/d. Venezuela's nameplate refining capacity was 1.3 million b/d when Hugo Chavez took office in 1999, but industry estimates suggest only about 500,000 b/d is currently usable. The Amuay refining complex, once capable of 1.2 million b/d, has not recovered from a 2012 explosion. Output is further limited by power outages and issues at the El Palito refinery, crucial for supplying central coastal Venezuela. Delays in maintenance due to recently lifted US sanctions also contributed to production challenges.
Beyond Amuay and El Palito, Venezuela's refining complexes include Bajo Grande and Puerto La Cruz. The country continues to import naphtha, used as a diluent for heavy crude and as a gasoline blending component. Vortexa ship tracking data indicates Venezuela imported about 100,000 b/d of naphtha in July and is on track for slightly more, around 125,000 b/d, in August, with most originating from the US.