US taps oil reserve again amid rising fuel prices

The US has ordered additional release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) amid persistently high fuel prices. The Donald Trump administration also called on European countries to more actively use their own reserve stocks to increase supply on the world market, Bloomberg reports.

The new step continues the large-scale use of the American reserve, which began in the spring after a sharp rise in world oil prices and supply disruptions due to the conflict in the Middle East.

In March, the US agreed to provide 172 million barrels as part of a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of strategic stocks by the countries of the International Energy Agency. The US Department of Energy is conducting the operation mainly in the form of an exchange: companies receive oil now, and then must return it together with additional volumes.

Against this backdrop, the volume of the American strategic reserve has decreased significantly. As of the end of last week, about 283.8 million barrels of oil remained in the SPR - the minimum level since October 1982. Over the year, stocks decreased by more than 120 million barrels.

For comparison, at the beginning of 2026, about 415 million barrels were in the reserve. The bulk of the current decrease is associated precisely with the emergency release program launched after the aggravation of the situation on the world oil market.

Despite the reduction in strategic stocks, the US remains the largest oil producer in the world and has significant commercial reserves. Therefore, the SPR is considered primarily as a tool for responding to emergency supply disruptions and sharp price spikes, and not as the main source of raw materials for the American market.

Pressure on the administration intensified due to the growth of petroleum product prices. In recent weeks, diesel fuel has become especially more expensive in the US, while world oil prices remain high due to risks to supplies from the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the White House also discussed other ways to reduce fuel costs, including possible restrictions on diesel exports, but the oil industry opposed this idea.

Based on materials: Bloomberg, US Department of Energy