Written question asked by Lord Birt (Crossbench) on Monday, 18 May 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 June 2026. It was answered by Lord Whitehead (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Natural Gas and Oil: Storage

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of barrels of oil stocked and days of average demand for gas held as strategic reserves by the UK before the start of the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz compared to other countries, including Germany and France.

Answer: Data on the amount of oil held by the UK is published monthly in Energy Trends Table 3.11. As of February 2026, UK oil stocks were 10.6 million tonnes (equivalent to 81 million barrels) which exceeds the requirements as a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The government does not hold strategic reserves of gas. The government does not publish international comparisons on stock levels for either oil or gas. Oil stocks of IEA countries are published on the IEA website.

Secondary information