Most of the small businesses have ties to Denver, Colorado, Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s home turf.
Published on January 9, 2026
The White House is convening oil executives to discuss potential investments in Venezuela, and while a preliminary list of participants includes the big names in U.S. oil companies — Chevron, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips — it also includes several smaller independents and private equity-backed players.
The meeting with US President Donald Trump is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. GMT).
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Only the largest U.S. oil producers have the size and capacity to operate in Venezuela and have the experience doing so, an oil industry source said. The inclusion of small domestic companies in the meeting is noteworthy, given that they primarily operate in the United States.
Continental Resources, which bills itself as the world’s largest private producer of oil and natural gas, will be there, as will HKN Inc, formerly known as Harken Energy.
Several of these companies have ties to Denver, Colorado, Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s home turf and a relatively small hub for oil and gas activity compared to other parts of the United States.
Oil production in PADD 4, the producing region that includes Colorado, totaled 1.02 million barrels per day (bpd) in October, according to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. PADD 3, which includes states like Texas and New Mexico, produced 10.28 million bpd that month.
Raisa Energy, which acquires non-operated interests in energy assets and has a Venezuelan CEO, is based in Denver and backed by investment funds Citadel and Ares Management.
Tallgrass Energy – a midstream company with pipelines and terminals in regions including the US Rocky Mountains and Oklahoma – and Aspect Holdings, which counts former US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as an independent director, are also headquartered in Denver.
The Energy Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Raisa, Tallgrass and Aspect did not immediately respond to questions about any previous discussions they may have had on Venezuela before Friday’s meeting.
Many small companies and independents may not have as much experience with heavy oil as in Venezuela, but they are familiar with the lighter oil around Lake Maracaibo and the shales that have yet to be developed, said a longtime oil industry executive.
“They don’t have as much capital as Exxon, Chevron or ConocoPhillips, but the independents are known for moving much more quickly. Their cost structure is lower, which allows them to drill wells much cheaper than the majors,” the person said.
