Salt Caverns play an important role in the energy industry. They can be used to store propane, butane, natural gas, or petroleum. In fact, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve of the United States of America is stored primarily within subterranean salt caverns.

Salt caverns also provide a very secure environment in which to store gases and fuels. According to the National Gas Supply Association, salt caverns have the “structural strength of steel” and allow very minor amounts of gas or fuel to escape.

With regard to natural gas, salt caverns, although smaller than some other types of underground storage, are ideally suited to meet demand fluctuations during peak usage time or wintertime.