Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded contracts totaling over 170 million barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to support global oil supply stability. These awards include contracts for 53.3 million barrels announced on May 11, 2026, 45 million barrels from the SPR exchange with deliveries starting March 20, 2026, 26 million barrels from the West Hackberry site announced on April 17, 2026, and 8.5 million barrels from an emergency exchange at the Bryan Mound site announced on April 10, 2026.
Additionally, the DOE has issued several Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for emergency crude oil exchanges. An RFP issued on March 13, 2026, covers up to 86 million barrels—the first tranche of a 172-million-barrel exchange as part of the International Energy Agency’s collective release of 400 million barrels. Earlier RFPs included emergency exchanges for up to 10 million barrels issued on April 1, 2026, and up to 30 million barrels issued on April 9, 2026.
DOE’s actions reflect coordinated efforts to enhance global oil supply stability by leveraging the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Deliveries for these contracts began shortly after their respective announcements.