Global Energy Leaders Gather to Discuss Rebuilding Venezuela's Oil Sector
La Jolla, Sunday, 27 September 2026.
More than 45 global energy executives and regulators will meet in California this October to address financing and infrastructure strategies for rebuilding Venezuela’s oil and power sectors.
Conference Agenda and Strategic Focus
The Institute of the Americas is hosting its 35th annual La Jolla Energy Conference in La Jolla, California, scheduled from October 13 to October 15, 2026 [1]. More than 45 confirmed speakers will attend, including CEOs of national and independent oil companies, regulators, former energy ministers, and energy analysts [1]. Established in 1991, the conference was designed to facilitate high-level dialogue on energy policy, investment, and market volatility in Latin America and the Caribbean [1]. Jeremy M. Martin, Vice President for Energy at the Institute of the Americas, stated that the 35th edition stays true to the conference’s founding mission of bringing together the hemisphere’s most serious voices on energy security, market volatility and the challenges of the transition [1].
The 2026 agenda features sessions covering Venezuela’s recovery, Brazil’s elections, Argentina’s LNG ambitions, and Guyana’s offshore boom [1]. Key sessions are scheduled to evaluate structural changes in global energy markets and supply chains, involving stakeholders such as S&P Global Energy, Shell, GeoPark, and ANCAP [1]. The event program includes a gala anniversary dinner on October 13, 2026, followed by thematic sessions on October 14, 2026, and regional deep dives on October 15, 2026 [1].
Financing Venezuela’s Energy Recovery
On October 15, 2026, the conference will host a specific session titled “Venezuela’s New Reality: Financing Recovery from Upstream Oil & Gas to Pipelines to Electric Grids,” focusing on capital requirements for rebuilding Venezuela’s energy infrastructure [1]. The Venezuela panel includes Francisco Monaldi, Director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Barbara Blakely, Shell’s regional head of corporate relations for Latin America and the Caribbean [1]. Additional panelists include Ángel Cárdenas, Infrastructure manager at CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and David Voght, Managing director of IPD Latin America [1]. The session will be moderated by Juancho Eekhout, Vice president of development at Sempra Infrastructure [1].
This focus on financing comes as the 35th edition of the conference aims to evaluate structural changes in global energy markets with specific panels involving various former energy ministers from Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico [1]. The Institute of the Americas is hosting this 35th annual energy conference in La Jolla, marking over 35 years of policy discussion regarding energy sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean [1]. In August 2026, Jeremy M. Martin discussed the conference’s focus on energy security, market volatility, and transition challenges with EnergiesNet-Petroleumworld [1].
Competitive Landscape and Production Shifts
Parallel to these discussions, a U.S.-backed oil company in Venezuela has risen to challenge Chevron’s longstanding position as the largest private producer in the region [2]. North American Blue Energy Partners, identified as the Trump administration’s new partner in Venezuela, reported lining up 60 drilling rigs, 30 steam boilers that generate hot steam to move heavy oil, and 70 pieces of heavy equipment [2]. Logistics are already underway, with two drilling rigs set to depart Houston on Monday for a six-day voyage to Venezuela on a cargo vessel called the BBC Washington [2].
The rise of this Pentagon-backed oil company in Venezuela has frustrated executives at America’s biggest oil companies [2]. Parts for drilling rigs were observed being loaded onto the cargo vessel BBC Washington in Houston, signaling an active push to boost production in the Latin American country [2]. This operational expansion is poised within months to challenge Chevron’s market position, marking a significant shift in the region’s energy dynamics [2].