Fuel stocks and strategic reserves: Overview
The world's emergency barrels, and how they held up in 2026
The world's emergency barrels, and how they held up in 2026 What this tile covers Stockpiles, tanks and underground stores of oil, gas and coal, including national reserves. Share of use 93% share of world stored energy (2025)Share of the world's stored energy (energy capacity held, TWh, latest year 2019 to 2026) across the forms with figures, about 22,551 TWh; fuel stocks dominate. Battery and other stores count capacity, not state of charge (calculated) Oil: about 8.2 billion barrels in storage before the 2026 crisis (IEA) at about 1.7 MWh per barrel, 13,940 TWh. Gas: about 483 bcm of working storage capacity (IEA Hydrogen TCP, 2019) at about 10 kWh per m3, 4,830 TWh. Coal: over 200 Mt at Chinese power plants (NDRC, Nov 2024), 132 Mt of US stocks (145.5 million short tons, EIA, June 2026) and 58.3 Mt at Indian power plants (June 2025), about 390 Mt at an average 5.8 MWh per tonne, 2,264 TWh; a lower bound, since mine, port and other countries' stocks are left out, and Indian coal is lower grade. Total about 21,034 TWh of a 22,551 TWh world total across all SG tiles. Nuclear fuel inventories have no tile and are left out. Source: How global oil supplies have readjusted to help fill the huge gap left by the Strait of Hormuz shock, IEA.
Key facts
| Duration | Months to years |
Included from the reference tables
- Strategic petroleum reserves
- Gas storage
- Fuel stockpiles and tanks
Linked to the material world
Oil Crude oilGas Natural gasTc Thermal coalAlso in Chemical
H2S Hydrogen storageNH3 Ammonia, methanol and e-fuelsBmS Biomass and biofuel storesTCS Thermochemical storageExp Explosives and propellantsExplore paths from here
More on this tile in the tabs above: science and technology, engineering and performance, economics, impact and additionality, what to track.