Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) inventories have been climbing over the past year as the Department of Energy (DOE) advances plans to replenish it following the record 180-MMbbl drawdown after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But DOE officials have said its refilling efforts are complicated by upgrades at three of the four SPR storage sites. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the scope of these “life-extension” projects, the completion timetable, and how it might drag out restocking efforts.

