WASHINGTON, Oct 19, 2022 (AFP) – President Joe Biden will announce Wednesday he’s putting the final 15 million barrels on the market from a record release of US strategic oil reserves, with more releases possible if energy prices spike, a senior US official said Tuesday.
The new tranche of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will be “completing the 180 million barrel release authorized in the spring,” in response to price hikes linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a senior US official said.
The order, which Biden will announce in a speech, means the president will be “making clear that the administration is prepared to undertake significant additional… sales this winter if they are needed due to Russian or other actions disrupting global markets,” the official added.