Rubio Meets Adani, Tata Chiefs, Visits Reliance Refinery as India-US Trade Deal Nears Finish Line

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday put India’s biggest business groups and energy ambitions at the centre of his India visit, meeting Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran in Mumbai before travelling to Jamnagar, Gujarat, to visit Reliance Industries’ massive oil refinery and clean-energy facilities.

Rubio, who arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, held separate meetings with Adani and Chandrasekaran on Wednesday morning. Neither side publicly disclosed details of the discussions, which come as India seeks foreign investment in infrastructure, renewable energy, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.

In Jamnagar, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries hosted Rubio at its refining complex, the world’s largest single-site refinery, with a combined processing capacity of around 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day. The visit focused attention on India’s refining capabilities and the potential for greater energy cooperation between New Delhi and Washington.

A key issue is Venezuelan crude oil. Rubio has said the US is discussing with Reliance the possibility of processing more oil from Venezuela as its production increases. The Jamnagar refineries can handle heavy crude grades, making them strategically important as Washington explores new markets for Venezuelan supplies and India seeks to diversify its sources of energy.

Rubio’s itinerary also included Vantara, Reliance’s wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre associated with Anant Ambani, and the conglomerate’s planned Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex. The proposed manufacturing hub is designed to house facilities for solar modules, battery storage, green-hydrogen electrolysers, fuel cells and power electronics.

The investments reflect Reliance’s effort to build a major clean-energy business alongside its established oil refining and petrochemicals operations.

Separately, Rubio said 99% of the work on the proposed India-US trade deal was complete, with only a few issues remaining. He expressed confidence that the agreement could be finalised in the coming weeks.

His visit follows talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday covering trade, energy, technology and defence. Rubio also defended Washington’s engagement with Pakistan, saying it would not come at India’s expense.