Second release of oil reserves: six more days and 4.4 million barrels

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has ordered a second release of minimum security stocks of petroleum products: six additional days, equivalent to approximately 4.4 million barrels, applicable exclusively to gas oils and kerosene. The decision is formalized in Order TED/1100/2026, of October 20, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) No. 262, of October 22, 2026, and takes effect from the day of its publication. The regulation implements the coordinated action of the International Energy Agency (IEA) agreed upon on March 11, 2026, and signed by the Third Vice President of the Government and Minister of the department, Sara Aagesen Muñoz.

The order is based on Article 49 of Law 34/1998, of July 7, on the hydrocarbon sector, and Royal Decree 1716/2004, of July 23, which sets the obligation to maintain minimum security stocks at 92 days of sales or consumption for the obligated parties. At the European level, Spain is covered by Article 20, paragraphs 3 and 6, of Council Directive 2009/119/EC, of September 14, 2009, which allows for the use of emergency reserves and the temporary maintenance of levels lower than those stipulated when there is an effective international mobilization decision.

From the IEA plan to the second phase

In response to market disruptions resulting from the crisis in the Middle East, the IEA activated a Coordinated Response Plan on March 11, 2026, to make 400 million barrels of oil available to the market. Spain articulated its participation through the Council of Ministers Agreement of March 17, 2026, published by Resolution of March 19, 2026, of the Secretary of State for Energy (BOE No. 70, of March 20, 2026), which approved a release of up to 11.553 million barrels.

In a first phase, that agreement temporarily reduced by four days the obligation of the obligated parties under Article 7 of Royal Decree 1716/2004, in the groups of automotive and aviation gasolines; automotive gas oils, other gas oils, aviation kerosene, and other kerosenes; and fuel oils. Paragraph 1.3 further empowered the head of the ministry to agree, while the collective action remained active, an additional reduction of up to 8.3 days, divisible into several phases and with the freedom to specify products, affected parties, and the schedule.

The international context has pushed for the execution of a new delivery. The IEA indicated on October 11, 2026, that the collective action was still ongoing and recommended accelerating the releases, giving priority to gas oil; its market report of October 14 noted “especially intense” tensions in gas oils, and its Governing Board reaffirmed on October 15 the commitment to continue the action agreed upon in March.

Six more days, only for gas oils and kerosene

The additional reduction is equivalent to six days and applies solely to the group consisting of automotive gas oils, other gas oils, aviation kerosene, and other kerosenes. Consequently, the total obligation for this group is temporarily set at 82 days compared to the ordinary 92, as the four-day reduction from the first phase and the six-day reduction now approved are accumulated.

Other groups remain unchanged: automotive and aviation gasolines, and fuel oils, remain at 88 days as a result of the agreement on March 17. The order further specifies that the reduction is computed exclusively on the stocks owned by the obligated parties and does not affect the strategic stocks of the Strategic Petroleum Product Reserves Corporation (CORES), whose maintenance obligation is not reduced.

Calendar, control, and means of appeal

• Market placement deadline: obligated parties must introduce the released stocks into the market by December 15, 2026.
• Monitoring: CORES will monitor the placement for consumption and report periodically to the ministry, and may request any information it deems appropriate from the obligated parties.
• Pending volume: the remainder of the Spanish contribution will be released according to the calendar, volume, and composition resulting from a continuous assessment of supply conditions, stock levels, international middle distillate markets, and analyses from the IEA and the European Commission.
• Appeals: against the order, which exhausts the administrative route, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the National Court within two months, or an optional appeal for reversal within one month.

The regulation arrives with the gas oil market under pressure and places the Spanish obligation at its lowest level of this crisis for the most strained group. The released margin—approximately 4.4 million barrels—must be on the market before mid-December, while the Executive reserves the remainder of the 11.553 million committed in March depending on how the supply evolves.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 262, of October 22, 2026, Sec. I. General provisions, page 140791 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-21949).