Office of Petroleum Reserves

The Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office’s (HGEO’s) Office of Petroleum Reserves advances the President’s goal of filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to its maximum capacity and maintaining drawdown readiness throughout management of the SPR program. The Office also manages the Northeast Home Heating Reserve and environmental remediation of the Naval Petroleum Reserve.

Its key objectives are to:

• Maintain Operational Readiness to drawdown crude oil within 13 days of Presidential direction. 
• Establish and execute an integrated strategy to fill the SPR to capacity. 
• Efficiently maintain SPR infrastructure for reliability, safety, and flexibility. 

The Office of Petroleum Reserves includes three divisions, 1) Engineering, 2) Readiness, and 3) the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office (PMO) in New Orleans.

The Planning and Engineering Divisions – Headquarters

The Planning and Engineering Divisions focus on the integrated strategy needed to fill the SPR to capacity, including through the development of options for oil acquisition and plans for cavern and well maintenance. The Divisions also conduct oversight of SPR engineering and operations activities, produce planning and engineering studies to inform SPR program strategies, and lead budget and planning efforts for the Office. 

The SPR Project Management Office – New Orleans

The SPR’s Project Management Office (PMO) in New Orleans ensures the SPR’s readiness to execute emergency drawdowns. The PMO is responsible for all SPR program areas including human resources, IT, cyber, health, safety, environment, engineering, cavern integrity, crude oil logistics, budget, finance, security, procurement, quality assurance, and maintenance. The Office maintains drawdown and fill capability through maintenance and recapitalization of SPR assets.

Last Updated: March 31, 2026