Strategic Petroleum Reserve construction ends first phase

As the $900 million Phase 1 construction nears completion, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) underground storage capacity amounts to 248 million bbl, about half the amount that will be available after Phase 2 is completed. About 90.2 million bbl of oil are stored underground, and an additional 1.5 million bbl are stored in surface tanks, at an average cost of just under $3.50/bbl. Dravo Utility Constructors Inc. is the operations and maintenance contractor on the project. In Phase 1, five salt-dome storage complexes and one marine terminal were constructed. The facilities are organized into three basic storage/retrieval systems: the Bayou Choctaw and Weeks Island storage complexes in Louisiana which are connected to the St. James, LA, marine terminal; the West Hackberry and Sulphur Mines storage complexes in Louisiana; and the Bryan Mound storage complex in Texas. The crude oil stored in the complexes is segregated by sulfur content. When the reserves are full, about 70% of the oil will be high-sulfur crude. The design total drawdown rate from the three storage systems is now 1.7 million bbl/day. The entire SPR operation is directed from New Orleans. The six SPR storage facilities are described.