Strategic Petroleum Reserve

U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve drops to 283.8 million barrels, lowest since 1982

EIA data show SPR crude stocks fell to 284.6 million barrels for the week ending September 18, then to 283.8 million barrels the following week, marking the lowest level since October 1982. The decline stems from a 172 million-barrel release authorized by President Trump in March as part of a 400 million-barrel coordinated IEA release, with about 133 million barrels structured as swaps requiring Shell, Vitol and Trafigura to return 1.25 barrels per barrel taken starting early next year.

oilprice.com · 2026-09-29

How the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve avoids surface tanks by using underground salt caverns

An engineering explainer examines why the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve does not rely on the commercial standard of external floating roof tanks to hold its 714 million barrels of crude. It shows that scaling up conventional tank farms would require roughly 1,130 tanks spread across about 45,000 acres, an area comparable to Washington, D.C., while leaving the oil highly exposed to fire and attack.

johnjwang.com · 2026-09-15