The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new plan to purchase one million barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) at the Bryan Mound site. This action follows the passage of the Working Families Tax Cut, which President Trump signed into law earlier this year and which provided $171 million to begin refilling the SPR.
Secretary Wright stated, “After the previous administration recklessly drained the SPR for political purposes, President Trump promised to refill and manage this national security asset more responsibly. Thanks to the President and Congress, we are able to begin the process of refilling the SPR. While this process won’t be complete overnight, these actions are an important step in strengthening our energy security and reversing the costly and irresponsible energy policies of the last administration.”
Currently, the SPR contains just over 400 million barrels out of its total capacity of 700 million barrels. The reserve was reduced significantly following a 180-million-barrel drawdown in 2022, which led to nearly $280 million in costs and caused delays in critical infrastructure maintenance as well as additional wear on storage and injection facilities.
The DOE’s solicitation seeks bids for an initial purchase of one million barrels via a spot-price-indexed contract, with deliveries expected in December 2025 and January 2026. The acquisition is limited to U.S. companies or U.S. subsidiaries of international companies sourcing crude oil from domestic production. The deadline for bids is 11:00 A.M. CT on October 28, 2025.
More information about the SPR can be found at Infographic: Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Fact Sheet: Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
