US President Donald Trump has announced plans for what he described as a $300 billion refinery investment in Texas backed by India’s Reliance Industries, calling it the first new oil refinery to be built in the United States in nearly 50 years and a major step toward restoring American energy dominance.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the refinery would be developed by America First Refining (AFR) at the Port of Brownsville, in partnership with the Indian energy giant.
“America is returning to REAL ENERGY DOMINANCE! Today I am proud to announce that America First Refining is opening the FIRST new U.S. Oil Refinery in 50 YEARS in Brownsville, Texas. THIS IS A HISTORIC $300 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL — THE BIGGEST IN U.S. HISTORY, A MASSIVE WIN for American Workers, Energy, and the GREAT People of South Texas!” Trump wrote.
He thanked India’s largest private-sector energy company for its role in the project, saying: “Thank you to our partners in India, and their largest privately held Energy Company, Reliance, for this tremendous investment.”
According to the announcement, the refinery will be built in Brownsville and is expected to strengthen domestic fuel supplies, support exports and create thousands of jobs in the region.
“A new refinery at the Port of Brownsville will fuel U.S. markets, strengthen our national security, boost American energy production, deliver billions of dollars in economic impact, and will be THE CLEANEST REFINERY IN THE WORLD,” Trump said, adding that the facility would bring “thousands of long overdue jobs and growth” to South Texas.
Industry reports indicate the facility could process roughly 168,000 barrels of crude per day, primarily sourced from U.S. shale production, and serve both domestic and international markets.
If completed, the refinery would mark the first newly built U.S. refinery since the late 1970s, reflecting how environmental regulations, high capital costs and market consolidation have limited new refining construction in the country for decades.
While Trump described the development as a $300 billion deal, analysts say the figure likely represents the long-term economic value of crude supply contracts and refined product sales rather than the direct construction cost, which is expected to run into several billion dollars.
According to AFR, 1.2 billion barrels of US light shale oil will be purchased and processed (a value of $125 billion) and AFR will produce 50 billion gallons of refined products (a value of $175 billion) and the US trade imbalance will improve by $300 billion.
The refinery is specifically engineered to process American light shale oil (47° API), which is cleaner, more efficient and less costly to process than heavier imported crude.
Unlike many existing US refineries that depend on foreign oil, the facility will not require imported crude, which strengthens US national and economic security.
Key advantages of the refinery include the capacity to process 60 million barrels per year of 100% US light shale oil, a strategic location at a deep-water US port, enabling distribution to domestic and international markets and the production of some of the cleanest gasoline, diesel and jet fuel refined at scale in the US.
Reliance already operates one of the world’s largest refining complexes in Jamnagar, India, and its potential involvement could bring significant technical expertise and global trading capability to the project.