Trump Partners with India's Reliance to Build Giant Oil Refinery Worth $300 Billion in Texas
US President Donald Trump announced an ambitious plan to construct a new oil refinery in Brownsville, Texas. The project under the banner of America First Refining involves a deal valued at $300 billion (approximately 5.2 quadrillion rupiah), in partnership with India’s largest private energy company, Reliance Industries Ltd.
Through a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday local time, Trump described the project as a historic milestone for the domestic energy industry.
“A great victory for American workers, energy, and the great people of South Texas! Thank you to our partners in India and their largest private energy company, Reliance, for this extraordinary investment,” Trump wrote.
The project is claimed to be the first new oil refinery built in the United States within the last 50 years. Despite US oil production surging thanks to the shale gas revolution, the country has continued to rely on ageing refineries whose capacity is declining.
Trump promised that the Texas facility would become the “cleanest refinery in the world” whilst serving as a massive economic driver.
“I am proud to announce that America First Refining is opening the first new oil refinery in the US in 50 years in Brownsville, Texas,” Trump said. He added that the project would strengthen national security, supply the domestic market, and create thousands of new jobs.
The announcement comes amid efforts by the White House to address public concerns over rising energy prices due to armed conflict in Iran. The Trump administration is currently considering various options to suppress petrol prices, including releasing emergency reserves and deploying military escorts for tanker vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Technically, the Texas project appears to be a continuation of work previously developed by Element Fuels. In June 2024, Element Fuels announced completion of site preparation and construction permits for a facility with a capacity of 160,000 barrels per day. The Element Fuels website address has reportedly been redirected to the official America First Refining website.
Despite its ambitious scope, greenfield refinery projects in the US have historically faced considerable challenges. Many similar plans in the past have foundered due to ballooning construction costs, the complexity of state and federal permitting, and opposition from environmental activist groups.
At the time of publication, representatives from Reliance Industries and America First Refining had not provided official comment. The US Department of Energy directed further questions to the White House, which remained reluctant to provide additional details regarding the structure of the deal.