DOE Seeks Commercial Storage for Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve

Washington, D.C. – The Department of Energy, through its agent, DLA Energy, has issued a solicitation for new contracts to store two million barrels of ultra low sulfur distillate for the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve in New York Harbor and New England. Offers are due no later than 9:00 a.m. EDT on March 29, 2011.

MORE INFO Read the Solicitation

Of the U.S. households that use heating oil to heat their homes, 69% reside in the Northeast. The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve was established by the Energy Policy Act of 2000 to provide an emergency buffer that can supplement commercial fuel supplies in the event of an actual or imminent severe supply disruption. The Reserve can provide supplemental supplies for up to 10 days, the time required for ships to carry heating oil from the Gulf of Mexico to New York Harbor.

DOE is moving toward conversion of its current stocks of heating oil to cleaner burning ultra low sulfur distillate through use of an on-line interactive bidding system to sell the current stocks. Receipts from the sales will be used to purchase ultra low sulfur distillate prior to the beginning of the next heating season. New storage contracts must be in place by Summer 2011 in order to allow for timely delivery and storage of the new fuel stocks.

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For more information, contact: Jenny Hakun, FE Office of Communications, 202-586-5616, jenny.hakun@hq.doe.gov