The Oil Companies Offered US$ 178,069,406 in High Bids for 144 Plots in Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Auctions Held This Wednesday.
David Bernhardt, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, said: “The leasing results will help ensure well-paying jobs offshore for platform workers, support for onshore teams, and sector-related jobs, while generating much-needed revenue to fund everything from conservation to infrastructure.”
A total of 29 companies participated in the lease sale, submitting US$ 202,667,923 in bids.
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The companies that submitted bids were: Hess, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Walter Oil & Gas, W & T Offshore, TOTAL, INC. Houston Energy, LLOG, Anadarko, BP, Murphy, Equinor, Byron Energy, Peregrine Oil & Gas II, Castex Offshore, Ecopetrol, EnVen Energy Ventures, Talos Energy, Fieldwood Energy, GulfSlope Energy, Deep Gulf Energy III, and SDB Offshore Energy, LLC.
“The Gulf of Mexico is a long-established oil and gas province, and many of the blocks offered in today’s sale have been offered many times before,” said Kate MacGregor, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Mineral Management. “Today’s results demonstrate ongoing interest, as serious innovations and engineering continue to unlock new energy resources well below the seabed.”
The Department of the Interior offered 14,575 blocks, of which 144 attracted bids. The total number of bids was 171, as some companies were competing for the same blocks. The Green Canyon 437 block attracted the most bids – four.
The majority of bids came for blocks located in waters deeper than 1,600 meters, attracting 55 bids. The highest single bid came for block 338 of the Mississippi Canyon, for which Hess offered US$ 25.9 million.
While Hess submitted the highest bid for a single block, ExxonMobil was the overall highest bidder. It had a total of 25 high bids, with a sum of US$ 40 million. See below the top ten bidders.
Not As Intense, But Still Positive
The president of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), Randall Luthi, commented on the lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico 251.
He said: “Although the auction wasn’t as intense, Lease Sale 251 leads the previous Gulf sale in terms of increased participation, greater competition for bids, and bid values. Additionally, the bidding activity demonstrates both ongoing interest in deepwater areas and renewed interest in shallow water areas.
“The operational environment in the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S. shows tangible signs of improvement, pointing to an industry that is set to enter a fast lane; oil prices are higher, overly burdensome regulatory reviews are ongoing, rig rates and supply chain prices are more competitive, and companies have improved the efficiency of their operations. Today’s sale results reaffirm the paradoxical state of an offshore energy industry in slow recovery mode; the future is bright, but shifting gears takes time.”


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