U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Hits Lowest Level Since 1982
The reserve held 284.552 million barrels for the week ending Sept. 18, down 405,000 barrels from the prior week.
The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve held 284.552 million barrels for the week ending Sept. 18, reaching its lowest level since October 1982 and further reducing the nation’s emergency oil buffer.
The stockpile fell by 405,000 barrels from the previous week, when it held 284.957 million barrels. The latest figure is also the lowest point in the federal data series covering 1982 through 2026.
The Energy Department has announced a program involving up to 172 million barrels from the reserve as part of a coordinated 400-million-barrel action by International Energy Agency members. Previous exchanges awarded more than 133 million barrels and returned oil at a 26% premium.
The reserve is the federal government’s emergency crude-oil stockpile, stored in underground salt caverns along the Gulf Coast. Its authorized storage capacity is 714 million barrels.
