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US energy secretary outlines expansion of oil, gas and refining capacity, pushes first new refinery in decades
Chris Wright said the administration is reversing regulatory constraints to expand domestic oil, natural gas and refining capacity and grow the grid against geopolitical disruptions.
United States · Economy / energy · 2026.09.27 · 09:20 UTC
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright outlined the administration's energy policy focus in a Fox News interview on Sept 27: expanding domestic oil, natural gas and refining capacity while enlarging the national grid, to sustain economic expansion and counter geopolitical disruptions.
Why it matters
This is the first public statement by the US energy secretary that the federal government is pushing to build the country's first new refinery in decades. Refining capacity shortages are the core driver of high US gasoline and diesel prices; the policy would shape fuel prices, manufacturing reshoring and AI-era electricity demand for years.
Full report
"The only way to a better America is more energy addition. Do we want to reshore manufacturing to the United States? Do we want to lead China in AI and get the benefits in drug discovery and reducing health care costs? Absolutely. But this is going to need tens, maybe hundreds of gigawatts of new electric generating capacity. This administration is all in on that," Wright said.
He argued the biggest pressure on consumer fuel costs comes from constraints in global refining capacity rather than crude availability: the Russia-Ukraine conflict has cut Russian refining output by around 40 percent, while Middle East tensions have disrupted product flows.
Wright blamed the Biden administration, saying it celebrated the closure of more than a dozen US refineries, and said California Governor Gavin Newsom forced the closure of two more refineries in the last 12 months. He said federal authorities are working to reverse regulatory constraints and support the first new US refinery in decades.
On the grid, Wright cited the recently announced "SPARK" initiative: USD 2 billion from the Department of Energy plus over 3 billion in private capital to expand national grid transmission, aiming to lower household electricity bills for more than 100 million Americans by improving the efficiency of existing generating assets.
He also said the administration has stopped coal plant closures, is restarting nuclear plants with new ones under construction, and that next-generation geothermal is advancing. Wright claimed the US now produces more oil than Russia and Saudi Arabia combined, and more natural gas than Iran, Russia and China combined.
Verification: verified; reported by India's ANI news wire on Sept 27, 2026 and carried by multiple outlets — a public interview statement by a US cabinet secretary. News value: B+; originRegion: United States; section: Economy / energy; relatedRegions: Global, Russia, Middle East; latest source: 2026-09-27; published 2026-09-27 09:20 UTC.
This report is compiled and rewritten by N-Globe from verified sources, not a verbatim translation.
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