US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday visited Reliance Industries' sprawling Jamnagar complex, bringing Washington's push to deepen energy ties with India into focus at a time when the Trump administration is seeking greater access to the country's refining capacity, more purchases of American energy and expanded investment by Indian companies in the United States.
Rubio, accompanied by his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, toured the world's largest single-site oil-refining complex, the Vantara wildlife rescue and conservation centre, and Reliance's emerging clean-energy manufacturing hub, people familiar with the visit said.
He spent a few hours in Jamnagar before departing for the United States.
Almost the entire Ambani family, led by billionaire Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, welcomed the US delegation. Those present included his wife, Nita Ambani, daughter Isha Ambani and her husband, Anand Piramal, and younger son Anant Ambani and his wife, Radhika Merchant, along with Reliance Industries Executive Director PMS Prasad and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.
Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambani's eldest son and managing director of Jio Platforms, was overseeing the opening of the telecom giant's initial public offering (IPO).
Rubio arrived in Jamnagar a day after describing India as a crude-refining "superpower" and urging it to process more Venezuelan oil.
Officials have described the Ambani-hosted programme as a "private visit", and neither side released details of the itinerary.
The visit comes as Washington seeks to increase sales of American energy to India, encourage the processing of Western Hemisphere crude and strengthen commercial ties with Reliance, a major buyer of internationally traded oil and a leading exporter of refined fuels.
It also coincides with pressure on US diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections.
Gor said American liquefied petroleum gas had risen sharply as a share of India's imports.
"Over the past year, India's imports of US LPG have surged from under 10 per cent to 67 per cent, making the United States India's largest LPG supplier," he said in a post on X.
He also highlighted Reliance's planned investment in a new refinery in Texas as an opportunity to expand US energy production and create jobs.
Rubio told Reliance-owned Network18 that Washington wanted to work more closely with Reliance on refining energy from the Western Hemisphere, describing such cooperation as beneficial to both countries.
Reliance's Jamnagar complex can process about 1.4 million barrels of crude oil a day and is a major supplier of diesel and other refined products to global markets. Its ability to process a wide range of crude grades makes it strategically important as Washington seeks to encourage more Indian purchases of Venezuelan oil.
The relationship is not without complications. Russian crude accounted for about a third of Jamnagar's feedstock in July-September 2026. Any shift in sourcing will depend not only on geopolitical pressure but also on crude prices, freight costs, refinery requirements and the availability of alternative supplies, analysts said.
Reliance's proposed 1,68,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Brownsville, Texas, adds a reciprocal dimension to the relationship. The project, being developed by America First Refining, is designed to process US-produced light shale crude. If completed, it would be the first major new US refinery in about five decades. Reliance has signed a long-term agreement to purchase the plant's refined products.
Rubio's visit also showcased Reliance's investments beyond fossil fuels.
Vantara, run by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation, spans about 3,000 acres in Jamnagar and focuses on wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation.
The Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex, being built on a 5,000-acre site at an estimated cost of Rs 75,000 crore, is intended to bring together manufacturing of solar modules, battery storage systems, fuel cells, electrolysers and power electronics, sources said.
The visit followed Rubio's talks in Mumbai on Tuesday with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade, investment, defence and critical technologies. The two governments are also seeking to resolve outstanding differences over a trade deal, with Rubio saying that only "a small number of items" remained unresolved.
For Washington, Jamnagar offers a route to process Western Hemisphere crude into fuels at scale and a potential partner in expanding US energy exports, analysts said.
For Reliance, closer engagement could strengthen access to diverse crude supplies and international markets while positioning the conglomerate as an investor in the United States as well as a major energy buyer, they said.
For New Delhi, the challenge is to deepen commercial ties with Washington while retaining flexibility over its energy sourcing decisions.