Lease Sale 256 draws more than $120 million in high bids

Offshore staff

NEW ORLEANS – Lease Sale 256 generated $120,868,274 in high bids for 93 tracts covering about 79 million acres (123,438 sq mi) in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Twenty-three companies submitted $135,558,336 in total bids.

Lease Sale 256 included 14,862 unleased blocks located 3 to 231 mi (5 to 372 km) offshore, in the Gulf’s Western, Central and Eastern Planning Areas in water depths ranging from 9 to more than 11,115 ft (3 to 3,400 m).

Shell Offshore Inc. submitted 21 high bids totaling $27,877,809.

EnVen Energy Ventures LLC submitted 13 high bids totaling $7,699,000.

BP Exploration & Production Inc. submitted 10 high bids totaling $17,130,319. The company’s highest bid, $7,300,311, was for the deepwater Green Canyon block 327.

Chevron U.S.A. Inc. submitted 10 high bids totaling $17,098,072. Its highest bid, $3,930,007, was for Viosca Knoll block 908.                                                                                                                                  

Repsol E&P USA Inc. submitted nine high bids totaling $6,437,891.

Murphy Exploration & Production Co. submitted eight high bids totaling $5,324,248.

Equinor Gulf of Mexico LLC submitted seven high bids totaling $22,158,274. The company’s and sale’s highest bid, $11,999,979, was for the ultra-deepwater Walker Ridge block 365.

Anadarko US Offshore LLC submitted four high bids totaling $6,475,357. Its highest bid, $3,006,215, was for the ultra-deepwater Keathley Canyon block 920.

LLOG Exploration Offshore L.L.C. submitted four high bids totaling $1,383,312.

Renaissance Offshore LLC submitted four high bids totaling $473,000.

Arena Energy LLC submitted three high bids totaling $446,650.

Hess Corp. submitted two high bids totaling $3,695,852. The company’s highest bid, $2,507,926, was for Green Canyon block 288.

Talos Energy Offshore LLC submitted two high bids totaling $2,933,741. Its highest bid, $2,761,234, was for the deepwater Viosca Knoll block 1000.

W&T Offshore Inc. submitted two high bids totaling $518,416.

Werrus AquaMarine LLC submitted two high bids totaling $164,375.

Beacon Offshore Energy Exploration submitted one high bid totaling $357,748.20.

Kosmos Energy Gulf of Mexico Operation submitted one high bid totaling $312,711.50.

Red Willow Offshore LLC submitted one high bid totaling $149,061.75.

Byron Energy Inc. submitted one high bid totaling $143,000.

Houston Energy L.P. submitted one high bid totaling $89,437.05.

CSP Exploration LP submitted two bids but no high bids.

Ridgewood Energy Corp. and CL&F Offshore LLC both submitted one bid but no high bid.

This was the seventh offshore sale held under the 2017-2022 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

11/18/2020