The Trump Administration has announced an agreement with Venezuelan company North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) to develop 17 oil fields with estimated potential of about 65 billion barrels of crude. President Donald Trump called the deal historic and said the United States would receive a stake and the right to purchase 20% of production at cost, potentially supporting replenishment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the US emergency crude stockpile, and lower fuel costs. Officials have discussed investment of up to $100 billion, although analysts say capital would arrive gradually and that development could take five or 10 years because Venezuela needs major electrical infrastructure, technology and a support workforce. Venezuela recently exceeded 1 million barrels per day in production for the first time since early 2019, while Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez aims to raise output to 1.5 million barrels per day. Economists and opposition leader María Corina Machado have warned that transparency, governance, electricity shortages and the distribution of benefits remain unresolved. US retail prices are approximately $4.07 a gallon for regular gasoline and $5.60 for diesel, while market pricing puts the odds of crude oil reaching a new all-time high by September 30 at 1.1%.