Venezuela looks for help to triple Orinoco output

CARACAS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Venezuela aims to more than triple output from its Orinoco heavy crude reserve in five years and will start looking for companies that can help achieve that goal from January, the national oil company said on Saturday.

State-owned oil company PDVSA said it would develop new projects to produce 2 million barrels per day from the Orinoco region within five years.

Recently nationalized projects in the Orinoco now produce a little more than 600,000 barrels a day, PDVSA said.

"Given the success obtained in the Orinoco oil belt, a process of selection will start in January to select partner companies with minority participation in integrated improvement and production developments," PDVSA said in a statement.

Venezuela's left-wing government took over several Orinoco oil projects earlier this year, forcing companies like Chevron (CVX.N) and BP (BP.L) to accept minority holdings under new terms.

Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and ConocoPhillips (COP.N) quit the OPEC nation over the takeovers.

The ministry did not give details of the projects it is looking to develop or how it will attract companies as partners.

It said that with oil from Orinoco selling at about $100 a barrel, the existing projects were very profitable for the companies working there. (Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel, Editing by Sandra Maler)