Oil pipelines in an oil refinery. Archive photo.
Reinaldo Quintero, president of the Venezuelan Association of Small- and Medium-Sized Oil Industries (PetroPymi), stated that the two earthquakes that struck the country on June 24 did not halt national oil production.
“Neither the export of crude oil production nor refining operations have been interrupted or stopped,” he assured in a radio interview.
He explained that the seismic activity caused damage only to a “petrochemical plant located very close to the epicenter” and minor damage in Morón—specifically to “shipping docks but not the main infrastructure; in fact, regular fuel supplies are continuing.”
He noted that crude oil production for June is expected to exceed 1.1 million barrels.
He affirmed that the partnership between the private sector and the national government guarantees the country’s stability and energy security.
He reported that “the four associations—Abpg, ABI, CPB, and Petropymi—met with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, specifically with the Deputy Minister of Gas, Cindy Rondón, to discuss the issue of gas supply.” Quintero also emphasized that “across all these industry groups, we possess machinery, operate in the field, carry out civil works, and maintain infrastructure; likewise, we made our services available—acting always as public servants with a genuine intent to help rather than seeking publicity or acting out of opportunism.”
Return Venezuela’s Stolen Wealth for Full Quake Recovery (Statement)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/CB/SL
Cameron Baillie is an award-winning journalist, editor, and researcher. He won and was shortlisted for awards across Britain and Ireland. He is Editor-in-Chief of New Sociological Perspectives graduate journal and Commissioning Editor at The Student Intifada newsletter. He spent the first half of 2025 living, working, and writing in Ecuador. He does news translation and proofreading work with The Orinoco Tribune.
