Trump hails ‘historic’ $300 billion Texas refinery, thanks Reliance for backing project

United States President Donald Trump has announced what he called a historic $300 billion investment to build a new oil refinery in Texas, thanking India and energy giant Reliance Industries for supporting the project that he said would revive America’s refining capacity after five decades.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the refinery will be built in Brownsville as part of a massive deal aimed at boosting US energy production and strengthening economic partnerships with international investors.

“Thank you to our partners in India, and their largest privately held energy company, Reliance, for this tremendous investment,” Trump wrote while unveiling the project.

First new refinery in half a century

Trump described the facility as a milestone for the US energy sector, saying it would be the first newly built oil refinery in the country in nearly 50 years.

“America is returning to REAL ENERGY DOMINANCE,” he 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.”

The project, planned at the Port of Brownsville, is expected to supply domestic fuel markets while expanding exports and strengthening US energy security.

Trump also claimed the facility would become “the cleanest refinery in the world” and generate billions of dollars in economic impact.

Part of ‘America first’ agenda

The US president credited his administration’s “America First” economic agenda for attracting major energy investments.

“It is because of our America First agenda, streamlining permits and lowering taxes, that have attracted billions of dollars in deals coming back to our nation,” he wrote.

According to Trump, the project will create thousands of jobs and bring significant economic development to South Texas.

“It will power global exports, and bring thousands of long-overdue jobs and growth to a region that deserves it,” he added.

Links to earlier refinery proposal

In 2024, Texas-based Element Fuels Holdings — a Dallas-area startup — revived plans to build what would be the first entirely new US oil refinery in decades at Brownsville, according to a report by Reuters.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s announcement refers to that proposal or whether the refinery forms part of a broader investment agreement involving Indian partners.

Announcement amid Middle East war

The announcement comes against the backdrop of a widening conflict between Iran and a joint front involving Israel and the United States in the Middle East.

The fighting has disrupted shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Tanker traffic has slowed sharply, forcing some producers to curb output as storage facilities fill up.

The disruption has pushed global crude prices sharply higher, heightening fears of prolonged supply shocks in the international energy market — a backdrop that could amplify the strategic importance of new refining capacity in the United States.