Venezuela shelved a planned sale of about $10 billion in U.S. refineries as surging North American crude output pushes down energy prices and profit margins. The country ruled out selling its U.S.-based refining subsidiary Citgo Petroleum Corp., Finance minister Rodolfo Marco Torres told Caracas-based El Universal in an interview published yesterday. The nation will keep investing in Citgo, he said, echoing comments made by President Nicolas Maduro last month. Citgo said in a July 29 filing that state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA was looking for a buyer, threatening to undermine bondholders and other creditors by removing a sovereign asset that could be seized in the U.S. in the event of a default. Former oil minister Rafael Ramirez said in August that Citgo was worth at least $10 billion, while Barclays Plc said last month that the company’s equity value is between $7 billion and $9 billion. “Refining […]