New throughout, adds details, background and U.S. State Department's guidance

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) - Oil producer Chevron's CVX.N U.S. license to operate in Venezuela will expire on May 27 as planned, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on his personal X account.

Rubio's post contradicted U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell's contention on Tuesday following a meeting with a Venezuelan top official that a 60-day extension of the license would be granted. Rubio's brief post did not mention the talks.

"The pro-Maduro Biden oil license in #Venezuela will expire as scheduled next Tuesday May 27," Rubio said in his post late on Wednesday.

The U.S. company's license to do business in the South American country is set to expire next week once a wind-down period granted to complete transactions expires, but most partners of Venezuela's sanctioned state-run oil firm PDVSA have requested extensions.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in February he would revoke the license issued by his predecessor Joe Biden more than two years ago. Trump accused President Nicolas Maduro of not making progress on electoral reforms and migrant returns.

Following Grenell's trip to the Caribbean island of Antigua this week, which allowed the release of an American that had been jailed for months in Venezuela, the U.S. State Department issued guidance to the Treasury Department objecting to the extension, four sources close to the decision told Reuters.

Any extension would need to be approved by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments. The State Department provides guidance for the Treasury to rule on any changes to sanction regimes.

Venezuela has some of the world's largest reserves of oil, but its crude output remains at a fraction of what it was a decade ago after a lack of investment, mismanagement at PDVSA and U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's energy industry since 2019. The licenses to Chevron and other foreign firms in Venezuela have allowed a slight recovery in oil output and exports since 2023.

Maduro and his government have always rejected sanctions by the U.S. and others, saying they amount to an "economic war" designed to cripple Venezuela. Maduro and his allies have cheered what they say is the country's resilience and have blamed some economic hardships and shortages on sanctions.

The State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Rubio's post. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers sanctions, declined to comment. Chevron did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Even if granted, a 60-day extension for Chevron to wind down operations in Venezuela would not necessarily lead to the resumption of its exports of Venezuelan oil to the U.S.

PDVSA canceled cargoes to the company in April over payment uncertainty, a situation that has not been resolved. Chevron must pay royalties, taxes and a portion of its joint ventures' operative expenses in Venezuela in order to get access to crude cargoes.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Timothy Gardner and Marianna Parraga; additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Sheila Dang. Editing by Doina Chiacu, Louise Heavens, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and David Gregorio)

((sheavey@thomsonreuters.com; +1-202-898-8300;))