CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select continues to widen

Feb 9 (Reuters) - The discount on Western Canada Select crude oil to North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 widened to its steepest point since July 2024 on Monday.

WCS for March delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $15.45 a barrel below the U.S. benchmark WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, compared to $15.25 on Friday.

• The discount on Canadian heavy crude has widened by more than $2 since the start of January, largely due to U.S. President Donald Trump's stated goal to increase Venezuelan oil production.

• Investors are watching for the potential for an increase in Venezuelan barrels to compete with similar in quality Canadian heavy oil in the U.S. Gulf Coast over the longer term.

• Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA has reversed most output cuts at its own oilfields and joint ventures in the Orinoco Belt, the country's main crude region, boosting total output close to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), sources close to operations told Reuters.

• Oil prices settled more than 1% higher on Monday after the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an advisory to U.S.-flagged vessels to stay as far as possible from Iranian territory while passing through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.