US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said India could play a key role in easing global energy shortages, citing its extensive oil refining capabilities.
Speaking in Mumbai, Rubio described India as a "refining superpower" with the capacity to process heavy crude oil, adding that increased Venezuelan oil production could help address supply gaps in the global energy market. "India is a refining superpower. They have the capability to refine heavy crude. They've done so in the past, and I think as more and more Venezuelan oil comes online, it's something they can do," Rubio told reporters. "They also, by the way, have pre-existing oil concessions in Venezuela that can produce more themselves. So, all these are positive things. I'm not claiming to you that Venezuela alone can fill the hole that could be caused by some of the things that are happening around the world, but I think over time, it most certainly can, and in the short term, it can certainly help. So, that's one of the things we'll talk about. With India, we've talked about it in the past, and they sound ready. They're willing to do it. There might be a few impediments that stand in the way in terms of sanctions and so forth that we'll have to work through..." the US Secretary of State was quoted as saying. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a three-day visit to India with an aim to advance bilateral ties in energy, trade and investment, defence and critical technologies, and exchange views on the West Asia crisis. During his trip, Rubio will be visiting Jamnagar. Jamnagar is home to Reliance’s refinery, the world’s largest single-site facility with a capacity to process 1.4 million barrels per day of crude oil. In March, President Donald Trump announced that the US will build its first refinery in 50 years with investment from Reliance Industries. The refinery will come up at Brownsville in Texas at a cost of USD 300 billion, Trump said.
This is Rubio's second visit to India this year. The visit comes amid persistent friction in bilateral ties. During his earlier trip in May, he held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, besides attending a Quad foreign ministers' meeting.
