The US Department of Energy (DoE) is set to acquire one million barrels (mbbl) of crude oil for delivery to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s (SPR) Bryan Mound site. 

This move aligns with the Working Families Tax Cut legislation signed by President Trump, which allocated $171m to begin refilling the reserve. 

Currently, the SPR stores around 400mbbl, less than its full capacity of 700mbbl. 

The new purchase aims to strengthen the SPR following a significant drawdown of 180mbbl in 2022, which incurred nearly $280m in costs and affected infrastructure maintenance. 

The solicitation specifies that bids are open for a spot price-indexed contract, with delivery dates set for December 2025 and January 2026. 

Eligible bidders must be US companies or US subsidiaries of international companies, with oil sourced domestically. 

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said: “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.” 

Earlier in the year, the DoE authorised an exchange from the SPR with ExxonMobil to address logistical challenges affecting oil deliveries to its Baton Rouge refinery. 

This exchange, approved by Secretary Wright, aims to maintain a stable fuel supply across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. 

The DoE will provide up to 1mbbl of crude oil to support ExxonMobil's refinery operations, which were impacted by an offshore supply disruption. 

ExxonMobil is expected to return the borrowed crude and additional barrels to the SPR at no taxpayer expense. 

The DoE said it continues to work closely with industry partners to ensure fuel supply stability during periods of peak demand.