Brazil's mines and energy minister Alexandre Silveira will visit Venezuela before year-end to explore potential new investment opportunities in the country's hydrocarbons sector, a source at Venezuela's oil ministry told Argus.
Venezuelan and Brazilian presidents Delcy Rodriguez and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Cop 31 climate summit, in Antalya, Turkey. They discussed the need to to reinforce economic and commercial ties and new potential participation of Brazilian companies in Venezuela oil and gas sectors, a source at Venezuela's foreign affairs ministry said.
The Brazilian government confirmed both the presidents' meeting at Cop 31 and the agreement for Silveira's trip. But there are still no set dates.
Brazilian state-controlled Petrobras did not immediately answer inquiries about whether it would join Silveira in the trip.
Prior to Brazil's general elections in October, federal congressman Eduardo Pazuello — who coordinates the parliamentary front to support oil, gas and energy — was expected to meet his counterpart in Venezuela, Orlando Camacho, and other oil officials, a source at Venezuela's oil and energy commission told Argus. But the meeting was suspended due to the elections, the source said.
Brazilian hydrocarbons company Fluxus — a part of the J&F conglomerate, owned by the brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista — formed a joint venture with Venezuelan state-owned PdV called Petrororaima. Through it, the Brazilian firm holds 49pc of shares in the Orinoco oil belt, producing 25,000 b/d there, Fluxus told Argus.
