How authentic are Venezuela's oil reserves?

[J0E]

Someone made indirect mention of this nation's status as being #1 in oil reserves.



Other studies, links appear to back this up as this nation shot up suddenly in the oil reserve rankings..



 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Venezuela">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_res ... _Venezuela">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Venezuela



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Venezuela_Oil_Reserves.png">



....but how authentic are these claims? I've heard from someone that they include heavy oil deposits, but at the same time this is barely usable oil.



Alberta could make similar claims that it has twice that amount of its current proven reserves sitting in the tarsands, but of course, much of that is difficult to recover. And of course there are billions more barrles sitting in the Arctic sitting under the ice.



So does anyone here know how valid Venezuela's claims are? Are they widely or generally recognized?

[Anonymous]

Someone made indirect mention of this nation's status as being #1 in oil reserves.



Other studies, links appear to back this up as this nation shot up suddenly in the oil reserve rankings..



 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Venezuela">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_res ... _Venezuela">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Venezuela



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Venezuela_Oil_Reserves.png">



....but how authentic are these claims? I've heard from someone that they include heavy oil deposits, but at the same time this is barely usable oil.



Alberta could make similar claims that it has twice that amount of its current proven reserves sitting in the bituminous oil, but of course, much of that is difficult to recover. And of course there are billions more barrles sitting in the Arctic sitting under the ice.



So does anyone here know how valid Venezuela's claims are? Are they widely or generally recognized?

 ac_dunno