US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will discuss potential opportunities and obstacles with Reliance Industries over Venezuelan oil during his visit to the company’s Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat, placing India’s refining capacity at the centre of an emerging energy cooperation conversation.
Rubio made the comments after arriving in Mumbai on Tuesday, October 20, during a three-day visit to India scheduled to continue until October 22. He was responding to a question on whether Washington would encourage Reliance to enter oil production in Venezuela.
“We’ve talked to them about it in the past. We’re going to go see what the holdup is and what opportunities exist. We’ll see how the conversation goes,” Rubio said, according to ANI as reported by Mid-Day. He added that Reliance had previously had a presence in Venezuela and possessed substantial refining capabilities.
The US Secretary of State said Reliance had the technical ability to process Venezuelan heavy crude, having done so in the past. He also described India as a major refining power and said Indian companies could help process additional Venezuelan crude if production increases.
“India is a refining superpower. They have the ability to do that. They have companies that know how to do that,” Rubio said. He further pointed to existing Indian investments in Venezuela’s oil sector, saying companies could potentially increase output through their pre-existing concessions.
The comments connect Reliance’s refining operations in Gujarat with the wider question of how Venezuelan crude could move into global energy markets. Reliance operates one of the world’s largest refining complexes at Jamnagar, making the site a significant piece of India’s petroleum processing infrastructure. The refinery’s ability to process different grades of crude is central to the discussion described by Rubio.
However, Rubio acknowledged that US sanctions could complicate any expansion of cooperation involving Venezuela. “There might be a few impediments that stand in the way in terms of sanctions and so forth that we have to work through,” he said.
The remarks come as disruptions to global energy supplies, including conflicts affecting oil transportation routes and refining infrastructure, have increased pressure on fuel availability and affordability. Rubio said Venezuelan oil could help ease some of those pressures, while also acknowledging that it would not be sufficient to fully offset disruptions to global supplies.
Reliance’s possible role would therefore involve more than the purchase or processing of crude. The discussion, as outlined by Rubio, also touches on production from existing Venezuelan concessions, the operation of energy infrastructure and the regulatory constraints created by sanctions. No agreement or new commitment by Reliance was announced in the remarks.
Rubio is scheduled to visit Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat on Wednesday, October 21. The visit is expected to provide the setting for discussions on the hurdles and opportunities associated with Venezuelan oil, according to the report.
