TotalEnergies CEO Channels Inner Ace Ventura Too Expensive and Polluting for Venezuela

• TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné deems Venezuela "too expensive and too polluting" despite Trump's call for Big Oil investment.
• The company's 2022 exit stemmed from a strategic shift away from heavy crude and environmental concerns.
• Exxon CEO Darren Woods previously labeled the Venezuelan market "uninvestable," drawing Trump's ire.
• Analysts cite infrastructure constraints and the need for political transition as major hurdles to Venezuelan oil output growth.

Alllllrighty Then TotalEnergies Says No to Venezuela

Greetings, Earthlings Ace Ventura, Pet Detective and now, intrepid energy analyst, at your service. Seems like there's some hanky-panky going on in Venezuela. President Trump, bless his cotton socks, wants Big Oil to dive headfirst into the Venezuelan oilfields, promising U.S. government security assistance. But TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné is saying, "Hold your horses".

It's Too Expensive, Too Polluting, and That's the Way It Is

Pouyanné dropped a truth bomb worthy of a rhino birth, telling reporters that TotalEnergies exited Venezuela in 2022 because it clashed with their strategy. His words were something along the lines of "It was too expensive and too polluting and that is still the case". Translation It's a stinky situation, and they don't want to get caught holding the bag. For more on tricky energy decisions and pivots, check out this article Cisco Shares Sizzle Then Fizzle: A Dragon Queen's Prudent Pivot.

Exxon Gets the Trump Treatment Playing Too Cute

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, well, he got the Trump glare. Apparently, Woods called Venezuela "uninvestable," which didn't sit well with the Prez. Trump threatened to sideline Exxon, accusing them of "playing too cute." Talk about a close encounter of the turd kind. It seems Trump wants to give American Oil companies investing in Venezuela government protection, but will it be enough to attract investment from Oil moguls after they have previously said the state is uninvestable in it's current state

Infrastructure Constraints and Regime Change Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Amar Singh, some big shot analyst at Barclays, chimed in, pointing out the obvious Venezuela's infrastructure is a mess. But before even getting to pipes and pumps, there's the small matter of, oh, I don't know, a stable government. Singh thinks that even in the best-case scenario, Venezuelan output will only grow modestly. Looks like someone needs to call the Ghostbusters.

TotalEnergies Profit Drop A Little Birdie Told Me

Amidst all this Venezuelan drama, TotalEnergies reported a slight drop in fourth-quarter profit. But get this their shares still went up. Go figure. The energy world is a confusing place, even for a pet detective turned energy guru like yours truly. It seems that the business strategy is more important than profits, especially when it comes to sustainable and responsible strategies.

Hasta la Vista Venezuela Maybe

So, there you have it TotalEnergies is saying "no thanks" to Venezuela, citing cost and environmental concerns. Exxon is in the doghouse. And the future of Venezuelan oil remains uncertain. Until next time, remember to always wear your rubber gloves it could get messy. Ace out.