U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the Freedom 250 reception at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai on October 20, 2026.
Kylie Cooper | AFP | Getty Images
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to discuss refining Western energy supplies with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Reliance Industries He was visiting the company’s plant in Jamnagar, Gujarat, the world’s largest single-site refinery.
In an interview with India’s Network 18, which is owned by Reliance, Rubio said the US is considering “working more closely” with Reliance on refining energy from the “Western Hemisphere.” “I think it’s beneficial for India, but it’s also beneficial for us,” he added.
Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery, which Rubio will visit on Wednesday, has a crude oil processing capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day. Reliance also emerged as the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude outside the United States as of the end of September.
Rubio said the company’s “extraordinary” refining capacity could help diversify India’s energy supplies, and suggested further expansion of imports of Venezuelan crude could be possible.
“We think they (Reliance Industries) have an opportunity to continue to help India diversify its supply chain and energy supply,” Rubio said, adding that Venezuela is expanding its energy production and “India has a long history of being able to improve some of that.”
US President Donald Trump has asked India to buy more Venezuelan crude to replace Russian barrels, and while state-owned oil companies have made opportunistic purchases, Reliance has been a major buyer.
“Refining superpowers”
Beyond oil purchases, Reliance has deepened its relationship with the United States this year, with President Trump announcing in March that the United States would build its first new refinery in 50 years with investment from Ambani’s Reliance.
Reliance did not disclose the size of the investment, but President Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “This is a historic $300 billion deal, the largest in U.S. history.”
Pramit Pal Chaudhry, head of South Asia at Eurasia Group, told CNBC that Reliance had never announced any investment in the refinery, adding that this created an atmosphere of uncertainty around the deal. Mr. Chaudhry said Mr. Rubio will seek to “finalize” that deal or move it a little further.
Rubio told Network 18 that Reliance has “invested in expanding refining capacity in the United States.”
His visit to Jamnagar comes at a time when mid-term elections are looming and diesel prices are soaring in the US. Diesel prices, which affect U.S. truckers, farmers and shippers, are expected to continue rising next year.
Asked at a press conference on Tuesday about the role New Delhi and its companies can play in meeting the world’s energy needs, Rubio highlighted Reliance’s heavy crude oil refining capabilities and called India a “refining powerhouse.”
Refineries in India and China are good at handling heavy and medium-heavy crude oil from Venezuela and Russia, making this grade of fuel suitable for diesel production, Chaudhuri added.
