Rubio at Jamnagar complex: Sergio Gor flags Reliance's investment in first new US refinery in 50 years

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Reliance Industries' massive oil refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat on Wednesday.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor highlighted a sharp increase in India's imports of American LPG and Reliance's planned investment in a new oil refinery in the United States.

Rubio, who is on a three-day visit to India, was accompanied by Gor and welcomed at the Jamnagar complex by the Ambani family. The ambassador shared photographs of the visit on X, including one showing Rubio with Reliance Industries Executive Director Anant Ambani.

"Honored to join @SecRubio at @RIL_Updates Jamnagar facilities. Over the past year, India’s imports of U.S. LPG have surged from under 10% to 67%, making the United States India’s largest LPG supplier," Gor wrote.

The ambassador also pointed to Reliance's planned investment in the American refining sector. "Reliance’s planned investment in the first new U.S. oil refinery in 50 years is another major opportunity to expand American energy production and create jobs," he added.

Reliance's US refinery investment in focus

Gor's remarks come as Reliance Industries prepares to invest in a proposed oil refinery project in the United States, a development Washington sees as an opportunity to expand domestic energy production and employment.

The planned refinery in Brownsville, Texas, has emerged as an important component of the expanding energy relationship between the two countries.

Rubio's Jamnagar visit comes at a time when the US is seeking to strengthen energy trade with India and encourage greater purchases of American oil and gas.

Rubio arrived in Jamnagar from Mumbai, where he had earlier described India as a crude oil refining "superpower" and advocated processing more Venezuelan crude in the country.

Washington is exploring opportunities to increase global supplies of refined petroleum products as Venezuelan oil production rises.

Reliance's Jamnagar complex is particularly significant because of its ability to process a wide range of crude oil grades, including heavy crude produced in Venezuela.

According to Reliance Industries, Jamnagar is the world's largest and most complex single-site oil refining complex, with a crude processing capacity of approximately 1.4 million barrels per day and a complexity index of 21.1. The company says the refinery has processed more than 216 grades of crude oil sourced from across the world.