Monday, May 11, 2026

DOE has selected the companies who will be part of the fourth round of exchanges and they are expecting to release approximately 53-million barrels from the Gulf Coast.

Happy Monday!  Welcome back to another week of ESC News Blog!  We hope you had a relaxing weekend, and you spoiled Mom on her special day.  Let’s get started.

You know we like to keep up with the happenings at the Department of Energy’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and they have awarded companies for their fourth round of RPFs.  Let’s dig in. 

Did anyone happen to read the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrocarbon and Geothermal Energy Office Release on May 11, 2026, their announcement, “Energy Department Awards Contracts From The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Advancing President Trump’s Historic Emergency Exchange”?  In the announcement, it goes on to speak on how the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently (May 11th) published they have selected the companies which will be part of the fourth round of the Emergency Exchange Program for approximately 53-million barrels of crude oil from one of the four SPR sites: Bayou Choctaw, West Hackberry, Big Hill, or Bryan Mound.  This was part of the fourth RFP for exchange of crude the DOE has published in recent weeks, nonetheless this exchange was less then what the DOE had available which was approximately 92-million barrels.  The parties have a year to return the barrels with additional oil, and according to the DOE they will be receiving over 25% return which is around 15-million barrels.  We will keep you posted on anything interesting we hear out of the DOE and the SPR.  If you would like to read more of the Announcement from the U.S. DOE’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, please click the link: Energy Department Awards Contracts from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Advancing President Trump’s Historic Emergency Exchange.

If you would like help in looking into how to store your liquid hydrocarbon safely in underground storage or just find out what is underneath your feet to help with your emission reduction goals, contact us via email in the Blog and check out our ESC website!

We hope you have a wonderful evening and a productive week. 

**Disclaimer: Please see the Immediate Release from the U.S. DOE for specifics. **