US Strategic Petroleum Reserve falls below 300 mn barrels amid Iran war, sparking concerns over future emergencies

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the United States' emergency oil stockpile, has fallen below 300 million barrels for the first time since the early 1980s, according to data from the Department of Energy. This decline, attributed to the ongoing conflict in Iran, has raised concerns about the reserve's ability to respond to future energy emergencies without damaging the underground caverns where it is stored.

The SPR currently holds about 243 million barrels after releasing at least 172 million barrels to address the current supply disruption. Energy experts argue that the reserve should maintain a minimum of 70 million barrels to safely operate, but some dispute this figure, warning that reducing the reserve below 300 million barrels could lead to irreversible damage to the caverns.

Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich maintains that the caverns are not at risk of collapsing, but petroleum engineering professor Siddharth Misra from Texas A&M University warns that at current levels, "cavern integrity and overall operational capability are at an elevated risk." Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about the structural stability of the 60 salt caverns where the SPR's oil is stored across four major sites along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas.