US Strategic Petroleum Reserve faces aging infrastructure and record‑low inventories, GAO warns

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says the United States' Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is at risk of failing to meet future energy emergencies. By December 2025 the reserve’s effective withdrawal capacity had fallen to about 61 % of its original design rate and injection capacity to 56 %, with more than a quarter of the stored oil inaccessible because of failing pumps, corroded pipes and deformed salt caverns.

The SPR, created in 1975 after the Arab oil embargo, holds roughly 325 million barrels – the lowest level since May 1983 – and its infrastructure is more than four decades old. A $230 million maintenance backlog and delays in the $1.4 billion Life Extension Phase 2 modernization project exacerbate the problem. Large drawdowns of 180 million barrels in 2022 (Ukraine conflict) and 172 million barrels in March 2026 (Iran‑related war) have further depleted the stockpile, and refilling has not kept pace.

The GAO cautions that without accelerated upgrades the SPR may not be able to meet future draw‑down directives, warning that “investments in the SPR are again not keeping pace with the aging reserve’s needs.” The Department of Energy has pledged to replace released barrels with “premium barrels,” but the report highlights a lack of a unified long‑term plan and ongoing operational limits.