First US refinery in 50 yrs: Trump thanks India’s Reliance, which is yet to comment
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: President Donald Trump has said the first US crude oil refinery in 50 years will be set up in Texas, and thanked India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) for investment, the media reported on Wednesday.
Reliance, however, is yet to comment, the reports said.
The refinery is planned in Brownsville, Texas, a key energy and logistics hub along the US Gulf Coast.
In a post on microblogging site X, Trump said, “Today I am proud to announce that America First Refining is opening the first new US Oil Refinery in 50 years in Brownsville, Texas. This is a historic $300 billion deal – the biggest in US history…”
He thanked “our partners in India, and their largest privately held energy company, Reliance, for this tremendous investment.”
A statement from RIL is awaited on this development.
Confirming the construction of the oil refinery, America First Refining, in a statement, said that in February it had received “a 9-figure investment from a global supermajor at a 10-figure valuation.”
The company said that it had signed a “binding 20-year offtake term sheet with the same global supermajor that secures commitments to purchase, process, and distribute American-produced energy exclusively sourced from American shale oil.”
It, however, did not disclose any names.
America Refining said it expected to break ground on the new refinery in the second quarter of 2026.
In his post, Trump called the investment the largest in US history and a “massive win for American workers, energy and the great people of South Texas.”
The refinery is expected to fuel US markets, boost energy production, and “deliver billions of dollars in economic impact,” according to Trump.
