Rubio Plans Jamnagar Refinery Visit as U.S. Diesel Prices Rise

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery as the administration seeks more fuel availability ahead of November’s midterm elections, with high diesel prices affecting truckers, farmers and shippers.

Rubio’s Oct. 17-22 itinerary includes Samarkand, Uzbekistan, followed by Mumbai and Jamnagar, India. His India schedule includes meetings with senior government officials and business leaders to promote commercial investment and economic cooperation. The itinerary lists no stop in New Delhi. This is Rubio’s second trip to India this year.

Jamnagar, in Gujarat, is home to the world’s largest oil refinery. The Reliance complex can process 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day and is described as the most complex single-site refinery. Its export-oriented capacity has drawn attention as U.S. officials look for ways to increase fuel availability.

Diesel prices in the United States are exceptionally high ahead of the midterms. Constraints in diesel markets could keep prices elevated into 2027. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump paused sanctions on Russia to allow Russian supplies into global markets as his administration sought to ease fuel costs.

Arpit Chaturvedi, South Asia adviser at Teneo, said Jamnagar has “considerable export-oriented refining capacity,” making a strong case for the U.S. to explore supplies of refined products, including diesel. Atman Trivedi, a partner at DGA Albright Stonebridge Group, described Reliance as “well-positioned to sell diesel.”

Reliance is also investing in a Texas refinery project described as the first new U.S. refinery project in 50 years. Trump thanked the company for its investment in March. Trivedi said the visit will highlight “Reliance’s plans for a large, new refinery in Texas.”

Reliance is the second-largest buyer of Venezuelan crude outside the United States, while Indian state-owned companies have not followed Trump’s push to buy more of the oil. Rubio’s itinerary runs through Oct. 22.