Latest News

United States strategic petroleum reserve replenishment slowed by rising oil price

The U.S. has canceled the purchase of about 3 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve due to rising costs, decreasing the pace of replenishment after a historical sale from the emergency stockpile in 2022.

The Department of Energy stated on Wednesday it will not award agreements for solicitations provided last month of 3 million barrels of domestically-produced petroleum, for the Bayou Choctaw, Louisiana website. The oil had actually been slated for shipment in August and September.

Here are facts about the SPR and efforts to put oil back in.

WHAT IS THE SPR?

It is the world's largest emergency situation oil stash. Former President Gerald Ford created the SPR in 1975 after the Arab oil embargo surged fuel rates and damaged the economy. Presidents have tapped the stockpile to soothe oil markets during war including oil producing countries or when hurricanes strike oil infrastructure along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The oil is held in heavily-guarded underground caverns at four websites on the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

HOW MUCH SPR OIL WAS SOLD IN 2022?

In 2022, the administration of President Joe Biden announced a sale of 180 million barrels of oil over 6 months from the reserve, the largest ever SPR sale, in an effort to lower gas costs after Russia invaded Ukraine. The DOE also conducted a sale of 38 million barrels in 2022 that had actually been mandated by Congress.

WHAT RATE DOES THE U.S. WISH TO BUY SPR OIL?

The administration says it sold the 180 million barrels at an average of about $95 a barrel. It wants to buy back oil at $ 79 a barrel or less. The West Texas Intermediate oil price of almost $86 a barrel on Wednesday might avoid future purchases if it stays at that level or rises. The cost extended gains after Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, on the prospective for the Middle East conflict to escalate, and as OPEC+. ministers held consistent their output policy.

HOW MUCH IS RETURNING?

The administration has so far redeemed about 32.3 million. barrels of domestically-produced crude oil, considering that the 2022. sales, it says. The DOE says it has actually likewise accelerated the return of. almost 4 million barrels to the SPR from loans to oil business.

Buybacks of much larger volumes might also risk pushing up. oil and fuel rates ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential. election. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated on Feb. 21 the. U.S. was being careful not to do anything to remove supply from. the market when costs may be high.

CURRENT SPR LEVEL

The reserve currently holds 363.6 million barrels, almost. 60% of which is sour crude, or fairly high sulfur oil which. many U.S. refineries are crafted to procedure. The most oil it. ever held was almost 727 million barrels in 2009.

The sales in 2022 sank the SPR to the most affordable level in about. 40 years. That outraged some Republicans who accused the. Democratic administration of leaving the U.S. with a thin supply. buffer to react to a future crisis.

The administration says it has a three-pronged strategy to. return oil to the reserve. That includes buying back oil, the. return of oil lent from the SPR to companies, and cancelling. congressionally mandated sales of 140 million barrels of SPR oil. through 2027. Both Democratic and Republican legislators had voted. for those sales to spend for federal government programs.

The U.S., which is producing oil at record volumes with more. boosts anticipated this year, has more crude in the SPR than. needed as a member of the Paris-based International Energy. Agency, the West's energy guard dog. Under the agreement, the. U.S. is required to hold 90 days' worth of net petroleum. imports.

(source: Reuters)