The US Department of Energy on Friday announced the authorization of an emergency exchange of up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address a crude oil supply disruption affecting the Phillips 66 Lake Charles Refinery in Louisiana. The exchange is authorized from the West Hackberry SPR site for immediate delivery, and under its terms all borrowed crude will be returned with additional premium barrels. The department did not say what caused the disruption, saying only that the supply would offset temporary disruptions to crude deliveries and support continued production of transportation fuels serving Louisiana and surrounding markets.
DOE authorizes emergency SPR exchange for Phillips 66 refinery
The US Department of Energy on Friday authorized an emergency exchange of up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address a supply disruption at the Phillips 66 Lake Charles refinery in Louisiana.
Why it matters: The loan is small against the refinery's intake, but it is the latest in a series of SPR exchanges this autumn, and the borrowed barrels return to the reserve with additional premium barrels under the exchange terms.
Data as of US Department of Energy press release of October 23, 2026, read in full on energy.gov; all figures and terms are the department's own. Reuters reported the same authorization on October 23, 2026. The department did not state what caused the disruption to crude deliveries. Developing item.
Sources
- Energy Department Authorizes Strategic Petroleum Reserve Exchange to Support Fuel Supply Stability - US Department of Energy - 2026-10-23
- US authorizes emergency release of up to 400,000 oil barrels from strategic reserve - Reuters - 2026-10-23