A full day ahead of the deadline! Waiting for an announcement and details.
Archive for 2022
BOEM awarded Sale 257 leases today…
Posted in energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged BOEM, Lease Sale 257 on September 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Wise words from the Norwegian Oil and Energy Minister
Posted in energy policy, Norway, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Minister of Oil and Energy, Norway, Terje Aasland, TFO2022 on September 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Comments from Terje Aasland, Norwegian Minister of Oil and Energy, after a strong licensing round during which 26 applications were received:
We need exploration and new discoveries to maintain the production of oil and gas over time, which is important both for Norway and Europe. The applications in TFO 2022 show very good interest among the companies active on the Norwegian continental shelf in looking for new petroleum resources. This is very gratifying, says Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap)
Refreshing wisdom from Sale 257 bidders
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Blackcomb Energy, CSL Exploration, DG Exploration, Focus Exploration, Juneau Oil and Gas, Lease Sale 257, Otto Energy, Red Willow on September 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Some of the lesser known Sale 257 bidders are intriguing. These companies have a clear and refreshing sense of identity and mission. Observations:

Red Willow Offshore LLC, high bidder on 5 blocks, is a private oil and gas exploration and production company owned by the Southern Ute tribe and headquartered in Ignacio, Colorado. Great mission statement: “Our mission is to create value for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe by exploring for and developing oil and gas resources while prioritizing safety, fiscal responsibility and respect for the environment and Tribal Cultural resources.”
Otto Energy was high bidder on 1 block. If you wonder about the company name, Otto Energy was known as Ottoman Energy until 2006. Otto’s vision is to achieve outstanding business delivery as a partner of choice in the Gulf of Mexico. Their production base includes the South Marsh Island Block 71 field and interest in the Green Canyon 21 Bulleit field.
DG Exploration focuses on new play concepts for the mature continental shelf of the US Gulf of Mexico. They were the high bidder on 14 blocks. According to DG, these blocks control 5 of the best prospects in their portfolio. All the blocks are located in a prolific part of the basin where new high potential exploration has been absent since the early 1990s. By bringing in new technology and ideas, they aim to fundamentally reset the creaming curve for the Louisiana shelf.
Juneau Oil and Gas was high bidder on 4 blocks. Juneau was formed to focus a world class team of professionals on exploring the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Juneau Oil & Gas has returned to the roots of the founding members’ past success at an opportune and strategic time in the ever-evolving oil and gas industry. Juneau correctly notes that “lease acquisition costs and royalty rates in the shallow water Gulf of Mexico are low relative to other basins, and there has been little competition for these leases after the steep and sustained decline in activity over the past decade.”
Focus Exploration LLC was high bidder on 7 blocks. Like other GoM shelf companies, Focus’ principals created the company with the purpose of identifying and participating in high quality, low to moderate risk oil and gas projects.
CSL Exploration LP was high bidder on 1 block. CSL Capital Management, L.P. is an SEC registered investment firm focused on energy services and equipment businesses. Headquartered in Houston, the CSL team has deep sector expertise in the energy industry and takes a hands-on approach to investments, relying on organic growth and strategic thinking to generate investment success.
Blackcomb Energy LLC was the high bidder on 1 block. Information on this company is limited, but it looks like they have onshore production in Colorado.
Sale 257 bidders waiting for their leases
Posted in energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged high bidders, Lease Sale 257 on September 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Per legislation signed by the President on 8/16/2022, Sale 257 oil and gas leases are to be issued this week. Below is a list of the high bidders. (The carbon sequestration bids are not believed to be valid and are not included in this list.) Note the number of smaller and relatively unknown companies that participated in the sale. These smaller operators and investment companies add significantly to the vitality of the OCS program. BOE will comment on some of these companies in future posts.
| Company | No. of high bids |
| Hess | 2 |
| Chevron | 34 |
| Shell | 20 |
| Walter | 2 |
| W&T | 2 |
| Houston Energy | 5 |
| LLOG | 6 |
| Anadarko | 30 |
| BHP | 8 |
| Arena | 11 |
| bp | 46 |
| Murphy | 3 |
| Red Willow | 5 |
| Equinor | 1 |
| Focus Exploration | 7 |
| Repsol | 5 |
| Byron | 1 |
| EnVen | 1 |
| CSL Expl | 1 |
| Talos | 10 |
| Kosmos | 1 |
| Beacon | 4 |
| Blackcomb Energy | 1 |
| Cantium | 3 |
| Otto Energy | 1 |
| Foster & Assoc. | 1 |
| Juneau Oil and Gas | 5 |
| DG Exploration | 14 |
| QuarterNorth | 1 |
Another new Aera era!
Posted in California, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, tagged Aera, Beta Unit, Exxon, Huntington Beach, IKAV, pipeline spill, Shell on September 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A fresh start for Aera Energy with IKAV, a German asset management company that purchased Aera from Shell and ExxonMobil.
From 1997 to 2007, Aera operated the Beta Unit offshore Huntington Beach. Since selling those facilities, all Aera operations have been conducted onshore, primarily in Kern County, a historically important California oil production area. Aera will continue to operate these onshore properties for IKAV, which looks like an interesting company.


Meanwhile, the Beta Unit has been in the news because of the October 2021 spill from the pipeline transporting Beta Unit production from Platform Elly to shore.
Thinking about energy security on 9/11
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged 9/11, energy security, offshore production, shale revolution on September 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Despite continuous legal and policy headwinds, and the absence of some historically important US companies, technological innovation is sustaining US offshore production at about 1.7 to 1.8 million BOPD. BOE will continue to monitor drilling, production, and safety performance and draw attention to the leading companies.
Think about where we would be today without the shale revolution and onshore production on private lands. Grateful!
Still waiting for the investigation report on the Huntington Beach pipeline spill, but Amplify settles with State and County governments
Posted in California, oil spill response, pipelines, Regulation, tagged Amplify, California, Huntington Beach, Orange County, pipeline spill on September 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »
In addition to the settlement with the Dept. of Justice, the pipeline operator has reached settlements with the State and County. In addition to a $4.9 million fine, the company agreed to inspection and leak detection measures similar to those in the Federal settlement.
Good picture, questionable message
Posted in energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged bp ad, Gulf of Mexico production, Lease Sale 257 on September 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Is bp apologizing for the pictured workers and platform? With the demand for oil and gas expected to increase through 2050, and worldwide concerns about energy supply and security, ads like this make neither good business nor good social sense.
Moving away from oil and gas and becoming a “very different” company in the 2030’s won’t make bp the “leading energy company in the world.” On the contrary, a “very different” bp will likely be less influential, less profitable, and more dependent on government mandates and subsidies.
Contrary to the ad (and to the company’s credit), bp seems committed to Gulf of Mexico production well beyond the 2030’s. They are the number 2 oil producer in the Gulf (behind Shell), continue to drill exploration and development wells, and were the most active participant at Lease Sale 257. Bp was the high bidder on 46 tracts, 12 more than no. 2 Chevron. The Department of the Interior has been legislatively directed to award Sale 257 leases by 9/15/2022, but has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
Updated SPR “milestones”
Posted in energy policy, tagged dubious milestones, SPR depletion, Strategic Petroleum Reserve on September 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The reckless depletion of an important strategic resource continues:
- Largest-ever one year SPR decline – 179 million bbls or 28.8% (9/3/2021 to 9/2/2022)
- 39.2% decline since 2010
- 74 consecutive weeks of decline – 4/9/2021 to 9/2/2022
- 58 million bbls below the strategically important 500 million barrel threshold which was first breached (on the downside) on 6/24/2022
- Lowest inventory since 11/23/1984


