Alejandro Betancourt, a Venezuelan entrepreneur who controls the country’s leading independent oil producer, is helping the Trump administration identify promising energy assets, assess operational bottlenecks and make industry connections in Venezuela. His company North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) pumps about 200,000 barrels of crude per day, making it Venezuela’s second-largest private-sector producer behind Chevron. The US administration is seeking to encourage smaller American oil companies to invest in Venezuela, as major firms like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips remain wary after their assets were expropriated. Washington plans to invest 100 billion dollars in the country, which holds some of the world’s largest proven crude reserves. Betancourt, who has been investigated for corruption, money laundering and tax fraud in Europe, the US and Venezuela without ever being charged, recently purchased Harry Sargeant III’s minority stake in NABEP.
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