While the majors and large independents garner most of the attention, smaller companies are an integral part of the mosaic that is the Gulf of America petroleum province. Some focus on producing and identifying remaining reserves on the shelf; others partner in deepwater projects.
Sale participants like Arena, Cantium, Walter, W&T, Beacon, Kosmos, and Houston Energy are well established Gulf leaseholders. Red Willow has attracted attention as a successful Southern Ute energy corporation.
The sale was beautifully conducted by BOEM, and Leslie Beyer – Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Dept of the Interior – and Matt Giacona, Acting BOEM Director, delivered strong messages in support of the OCS oil and gas program.
However, as a colleague commented just after the sale, it was beautiful but not big. He and I expected more given the time since the last sale and the attractive terms.
Below is a comparison with the previous 3 Gulf sales. More to follow.
Sale No.
257
259
261
BBG1
date
11/17/2021
3/29/2023
12/20/2023
12/10/2025
companies participating
33
32
26
30
total bids
2233
2842
3161
219
tracts receiving bids
2143
2442
2751
181
sum of all bids $millions
198.5
309.8
441.9
371.9
sum of high bids ($millions)
101.7
263.8
382.2
279.4
highest bid company block
$10,001,252.00 Anadarko AC 259
$15,911,947 Chevron KC 96
$25,500,085 Anadarko MC 389
$18,592,086 Chevron KC 25
most high bids company sum ($millions)
46 bp 29.0
75 Chevron 108.0
65 Shell 69.0
50 bp 61.0
sum of high bids ($millions) company
47.1 Chevron
108 Chevron
88.3 Hess
61.0 bp
most high bids by independent
14-DG Expl.
13-Beacon 13-Red Willow
22-Red Willow
14-Murphy
1excludes 36 leases improperly acquired for carbon disposal purposes; 2excludes 69 leases improperly acquired for carbon disposal purposes; 3excludes 94 leases improperly acquired for carbon disposal purposes
BOEM informs (post below) that Wednesday’s BBG1 oil and gas lease sale will be streamed live here at 10 AM ET. Given that this is the first sale in two years and the first BBG sale, some dignitaries may be in attendance.
On December 10, we will host the Big Beautiful Gulf 1 oil and gas lease sale, our first under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Natural gas and LNG are fast becoming the gravitational center of the global energy system, but some energy experts said the world is only beginning to grasp the scale of what’s to come.” ~Natural Gas Intelligence
Demand and high well producibility are stimulating exploration in the high pressure, high temperature Western Haynesville (Texas) and other ultradeep onshore gas prospects. Is it time to revisit ultradeep gas on the Gulf of America shelf? See the above targets map from 2004.
20 years ago Newfield, Exxon, and McMoRan drilled pioneering ultradeep wells targeting gas-prone reservoirs below salt welds in Miocene and older formations (diagrams below). The water depths were <100 feet but well depths exceeding 30,000 feet, and high temperatures and pressures, pushed the limits of drilling technology at the time. Noteworthy wells:
Blackbeard West (Exxon): Spudded in early 2005 in 70 feet of water in South Timbalier Block 168. The target was gas in Miocene sands at 27,000-32,000 feet total depth. Drilling reached 30,067 feet by 2006, but was prudently suspended due to extreme pressures, temperatures (up to 600°F), and technical challenges with equipment.
Blackbeard West, part 2: In 2008, McMoRan re-entered the well with upgraded equipment and drilled to a record 32,997 feet below the mudline. They encountered hydrocarbon shows in multiple zones, including potential gas pay in Middle and Deep Miocene sands below 30,000 feet, validating the ultradeep concept.
Followup McMorRan wells:
Blackbeard East (2010-2011): Drilled to 33,400 feet in South Timbalier Block 144, logged potential hydrocarbons in Sparta and Vicksburg sands.
Davy Jones (2009-2010): South Marsh Island Block 230 in 20 feet of water; reached 29,122 feet; discovered gas in Wilcox sands, but faced flow-testing challenges.
Lafitte (2011): Eugene Island Block 223, found additional pay in ultradeep Miocene zones. These wells targeted gas reservoirs but encountered operational hurdles.
Also, note that a company targeting hydrocarbons below 25,000 feet (true vertical depth subsurface) may earn an additional 3 years on their lease. (See the Notice for next week’s lease sale.) Will improved technology and demand expectations finally open the ultradeep gas frontier?
For those who want to provide input on an American Samoa marine minerals sale, now is your chance. See the attached Request for Information and Interest.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 