UK, US to release emergency oil stocks

“We didn’t make any decision, this has to be discussed broadly. We’ve got to look at this issue carefully, it’s something worth looking at. Short-term should we look at reserves? Yes, we should,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron at New York University.

“I think it is something worth looking at, because it’s having an effect on all our economies,” he added.

Two British sources have confirmed that the US has sent a formal request to Britain to join forces in tapping stocks of crude oil so that they could lower soaring oil prices, reported Reuters.

However, White House spokesman Jay Carney denied that any formal deal had been reached between the two countries.

“I can tell you that among the many topics of discussion that the British Prime Minister and the President had were energy issues and the situation globally with the rise in the price of oil,” said Carney.

Following Iran’s decision to cut oil supplies to Britain and France, the price of Brent crude oil kept rising, reaching above $126 a barrel and pushing petrol prices in the UK up to £1.40 per litre.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the release of emergency oil stocks could include the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) which contains 696 million barrels of crude, more than three months’ of US oil imports.

The US president has also been urged to expand the country’s oil production. However, Obama has maintained that “with only 2% of the world’s oil reserves, we can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices. Not when we consume 20% of the world’s oil.”

Reuters reported that Britain’s contribution would come from a reduction of the minimum reserves of oil commercial oil companies should hold.

ISH/HN/HE

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