Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE)

The terms for congressionally mandated Gulf of Mexico Sale 261 have been proposed. As is also the case for Sale 259, the royalty for leases in <200 m or water is 50% higher than for prior sales. This is partly because of the royalty floor (16 2/3%) established in the Inflation Reduction Act, and partly because the Dept. of the Interior opted for the highest royalty allowed (18 3/4%). The royalty for shelf leases is thus the same as for deepwater leases with much greater production potential.

Rental terms for leases in <200 meters of water are higher and more punitive (for delayed development) than for previous sales and for deepwater leases.

Minimum bid requirements are unchanged from sales 256 and 257, and are higher for deepwater leases ($25/acre for <400m and $100/acre for >400m).

Bottom line: While the terms for deepwater leases are unchanged from Sales 256 and 257, that is far from the case for shelf leases where royalty rates were increased by 50% and rentals were increased by 43% for all lease years.