The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a federally managed network of four sites located along the Gulf Coasts of Texas and Louisiana. Each site contains deep underground storage caverns carved into natural salt domes, engineered to securely hold large volumes of crude oil.
Inventory
Current inventory - Click to open inventory update window
Historical Inventory - Selecting this link with take you to EIA's website
Highest inventory – On December 27, 2009, the SPR reached its full authorized capacity of 727 million barrels, marking the highest inventory recorded at 726.6 million barrels.
Previous Inventory Milestones
- 2008: Just before Hurricane Gustav made landfall on September 1, the SPR reached 707.21 million barrels – its highest level at the time. Emergency exchanges following Gustav and Hurricane Ike reduced inventory by 5.4 million barrels.
- 2005: The prior record was set in late August, days before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Emergency releases in response to Katrina totaled 20.8 million barrels through crude oil sales and exchanges.
- 1977: The SPR received its first oil delivery – 412,000 barrels of light sweet crude – marking the start of operations.
Crude Oil Inventory by Site (as of August 21, 2025)
| SPR Site | Sweet Volume | Sour Volume | Combined Volume | Total Number of Caverns |
| Bayou Choctaw | 6 MMB | 40 MMB | 46 MMB | 6 |
| Big Hill | 28 MMB | 62 MMB | 90 MMB | 14 |
| Bryan Mound | 66 MMB | 114 MMB | 180 MMB | 19 |
| West Hackberry | 48 MMB | 40 MMB | 88 MMB | 22 |
| Total | 148 MMB | 256 MMB | 404 MMB | 61 |
Current authorized storage capacity - 714 million barrels
Fill status
- The SPR reached full capacity on December 27, 2009, following the arrival and unloading of a final shipment that began on Christmas Day. This delivery consisted of 493,000 barrels of Saharan Blend – a light, sweet crude oil- transported to the Bryan Mound Site. A subsequent sale and drawdown in 2011 brought the total inventory down to 695.9 million barrels.
Current days of import protection in SPR - At the end of CY 2024 (as of December 31, 2024), the SPR’s crude oil inventory was 393.6 MMbbl. This is equivalent to approximately 125 days (more than 4 months) of U.S. crude oil net imports..
International Energy Agency requirement - 90 days of import protection (both public and private stocks). In past years, the United States has met its commitment with a combination of SPR stocks and industry stocks. The days of import protection may vary based on actual net U.S. petroleum imports and the inventory level of the SPR.
Average price paid for oil in the Reserve - $29.70 per barrel
Drawdown Capability
- Maximum nominal drawdown capability - 4.4 million barrels per day
- Time for oil to enter U.S. market - 13 days from Presidential decision
Summary List of Historical Releases - click here
Investment to date - About $25.7 billion ($5 billion for facilities; $20.7 billion for crude oil).