# What Is the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve and Why Does It Matter?

https://mins.news/en/video/42944

- Al Jazeera English, 2026-09-03 02:00 UTC
- Economy
- Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0e8ObRvwRY

> Created after the 1975 Arab oil embargo, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve now holds about 290 million barrels—less than half its 700-million-barrel capacity and its lowest level since 1983. Stored in 61 Gulf Coast salt caverns, it was heavily depleted after the Russia-Ukraine war and this year’s Strait of Hormuz closure. A recent Government Accountability Office report warned ageing infrastructure could impede future emergency releases.

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