Caracas .- The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, appointed Paula Henao as the new Minister of Hydrocarbons this Wednesday, a position that the president had held since August 2024.
"I have appointed petroleum engineer Paula Henao as the new Minister of Hydrocarbons, with the responsibility of continuing to drive the energy engine of our country," Rodríguez indicated in a message published on Telegram.
The Chavista leader indicated that Henao must also work to strengthen the "sovereign development" of the oil, gas, and petrochemical industry of the South American country.
Rodríguez said he trusts the professionalism of the new minister, her extensive experience and career within the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, where she served as Deputy Minister of Petroleum.
"We will move forward in the recovery and development of the energy sector, a fundamental pillar for the growth and well-being of the Venezuelan people," he added.
Changes in the Ministerial Cabinet
Since last January 5, when she assumed as acting president, Rodríguez has made changes in the cabinet of ministers, including the appointment of Luis Villegas to head the Ministry of Industries and National Commerce, replacing the Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab, who was imprisoned in the United States and was close to Nicolás Maduro.
Rodríguez was sworn in as the person in charge of Venezuela after the United States captured Maduro on January 3 in a military attack on Caracas and three other nearby regions.
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Last January, weeks after the US attack, the Parliament, controlled by Chavismo, unanimously approved the reform of the Hydrocarbons Law promoted by Rodríguez to encourage foreign investment.
In February, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Caracas and established a long-term energy partnership with Rodríguez, a work agenda that continued with the visit this March of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who accompanied the signing of agreements between Venezuela and the British Shell.
Venezuela's oil production increased by 10% in February, when it again exceeded one million barrels per day (bpd), according to official figures collected in a report published this Wednesday by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
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