Washington, DC - The Department of Energy (DOE), through its agent DLA Energy, has issued a solicitation seeking commercial storage contracts for the remaining 350,000 barrels of ultra low sulfur distillate needed to complete the fill of the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. Offers are due no later than 9:00 a.m., August 31, 2011.

Earlier this year, DOE sold its entire inventory of heating oil stocks with plans to replace it with cleaner burning ultra low sulfur distillate. New storage contracts were awarded in August 2011 for 650,000 barrels, and awards from this solicitation will complete the fill of the one million barrel Reserve.

Of the U.S.households that use heating oil to heat their homes, 69 percent reside in the Northeast United States. 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.

Purchase and delivery of one million barrels of ultra low sulfur distillate to stock the Reserve is being managed by DLA Energy. A solicitation for deliveries by September 30, 2011, of the first 650,000 barrels has been issued. The final acquisition of fuel for the Reserve will require delivery by November 2011.

Read the solicitation

<p>FECommunications@hq.doe.gov</p><p>&nbsp;</p>