IEA coordinates crude stock release
The intergovernmental body is trying to cool the crude market
IEA members have agreed the “initial release” of 60mn bl of their crude stockpiles, following an emergency meeting “to address significant market and supply disruptions” related to the war in Ukraine. The US has committed to contribute 30mn bl from its Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR), and its Department of Energy plans to issues a notice of sale on 2 March. The 60mn bl release is equivalent to around 4pc of member states’ emergency stocks, which stand at 1.5bn bl, the IEA says. This release is only the fourth such coordinated withdrawal in the IEA’s history and the first for more than ten years. The organisation will continue monitoring the situation and says it is “possible” it will reco
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution






