U.S. eyes Reliance’s refining muscle for Western crude as Rubio visits Jamnagar plant
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the Freedom 250 reception at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on October 20, 2026.
Kylie Cooper | Afp | Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will discuss refining Western energy supplies with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries when he visits the company’s plant in Jamnagar, Gujarat — the world’s largest single-site refinery.
The U.S. is looking to “work together more closely” with Reliance for refining energy from the “Western Hemisphere,” Rubio said in an interview with India’s Network 18, which is owned by Reliance. “I think that’s helpful to India, but it’s also helpful to us,” he added.
Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery, which Rubio will visit on Wednesday, has a crude processing capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day. Reliance has also emerged as the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude outside of the U.S., as of end-September.
The company’s “extraordinary” refining capacity could help India diversify its energy supplies, Rubio said, hinting at possibly greater offtake of Venezuelan crude.
“We think there’s an opportunity for them [Reliance Industries] to continue to help India diversify its supply chain, its supply of energy,” Rubio said, adding that Venezuela was ramping up energy production, and that “India has had a long history of being able to refine some of that.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing India to buy more Venezuelan oil to replace Russian barrels, and while state-owned oil companies are making opportunistic purchases, Reliance has been the primary buyer.
‘Refining Superpower’
Beyond oil purchases, Reliance has been deepening ties with the U.S. this year, with Trump announcing in March that America will build its first new oil refinery in 50 years, helped by investment from Ambani’s Reliance.
While Reliance has not confirmed the size of investment, Trump in a Truth Social post had said that “THIS IS A HISTORIC $300 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL — THE BIGGEST IN U.S. HISTORY.”
Reliance has never made an announcement about the refinery investment, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, South Asia practice head at Eurasia Group, told CNBC, adding that it creates an air of uncertainty around the deal. Rubio would seek to “clinch” that deal or take it a little further, Chaudhuri said.
Rubio told Network 18 that Reliance had “invested in increasing the refining capacity within the United States.”
His visit to Jamnagar also comes at a time when diesel prices have surged in the U.S., with midterm elections looming. Diesel prices, which affect American truckers, farmers, and shippers, are expected to remain elevated going into next year.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Rubio underscored Reliance’s ability to refine heavy crude and referred to India as a “refining superpower” when asked about the role New Delhi and its companies can play in meeting the world’s energy demand.
Indian and Chinese refineries are good at handling heavy and medium-heavy crude from Venezuela and Russia, Chaudhuri said, adding that this grade of fuel is better-suited for producing diesel.
