Power outages, lack of diluents reduce available supplies
China, U.S. main receivers of Venezuela39;s crude last month
Petrochemical, oil byproduct exports also suffer drop

Nov 2 Reuters Venezuela39;s oil exports declined in October to less than 700,000 barrels per day bpd amid operational hiccups at the country39;s main production region, in a sign any sustained output recovery after the lifting of U.S. oil sanctions might take time.

The U.S. Treasury Department last month broadly eased sanctions on Venezuela39;s oil and gold sectors, allowing the OPEC country to export crude, fuel and gas to its chosen markets for six months, a move to encourage a fair presidential election.

But Venezuela39;s supreme court this week suspended the results of a primary election to pick an opposition presidential candidate, triggering a warning by Washington it could reimpose sanctions if the Venezuelan government does not allow candidates to freely participate.

Venezuela39;s state oil company PDVSA and its joint ventures exported an average 666,290 bpd of crude and fuel last month, 19 below the 821,500 bpd shipped in September, according to internal company documents and tanker tracking data.

China was once again the main destination for its oil exports, followed by the United States, which received some 178,290 bpd taken by the no. 2 U.S. oil producer Chevron CVX.N under an individual U.S. license.

LACK OF POWER, DILUENTS

Venezuela39;s exports of oil byproducts and…