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EIA: U.S. Venezuelan crude imports reached 701,000 barrels a day in July

The November 6 analysis puts July imports at their highest level since May 2017, followed by a decline in August. Trade flows are not a fuel-price or emissions forecast.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published November 6, 2026 · Updated 11/6/2026

U.S. crude oil imports from Venezuela averaged 701,000 barrels per day in July 2026, their highest monthly level since May 2017, before falling to 655,000 barrels per day in August. The Energy Information Administration described those figures in its November 6 analysis using Petroleum Supply Monthly data. They are monthly import flows, not a current daily production estimate.

Imports began the year at 200,000 barrels per day and increased in most months, EIA says. The agency attributes the increase to high demand from U.S. refineries amid high global refining margins and eased U.S. restrictions on purchases from Venezuela. This is the agency's explanation of the trade pattern, not a forecast that imports will keep rising.

Many U.S. Gulf Coast refineries in Petroleum Administration for Defense District 3 are configured to process heavy sour crude grades such as those supplied by Venezuela. That processing fit helps explain why crude quality matters alongside shipment volume. The report does not establish a guaranteed reduction in gasoline prices or refinery operating costs.

EIA says Vortexa data show that China received the majority of Venezuela's crude exports in 2025. For 2026, the agency reports no Venezuelan crude exports to China and identifies the United States as the largest single destination by volume. Those trade-destination statements are attributed to the cited analysis and should not be read as measurements of all petroleum products.

U.S. imports stopped shortly after sanctions were imposed on state oil company PDVSA in January 2019. EIA says the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control granted Chevron waivers in November 2022 to resume exports from its Venezuelan joint ventures to Gulf Coast refineries; those shipments resumed in January 2023.

The analysis also describes eased restrictions on PDVSA and additional U.S. investment authorizations in 2026. Its evidence concerns crude trade and refinery demand under a changing policy setting. It does not establish a lifecycle emissions benefit, an end to all sanctions, a future import target or a household fuel-price prediction.