BOEM to Offer Over 21 Million Acres in Western Gulf Lease Sale

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will offer over 21 million acres offshore Texas for exploration and production in Lease Sale 233 in August.

The acreage, which includes 3,953 blocks located 9 to 250 miles offshore in water depths ranging from 16 to over 10,975 feet (5 to 3,346 meters), will include all available unleased areas in the western Gulf planning area.

The proposed sale is the third offshore auction under the current Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012 to 2017. The first sale under the plan, Western Gulf Lease Sale 229, was held in November 2012 and netted nearly $134 million in high bids. The second sale, Central Gulf Lease Sale 227, was held last month, and attracted over $1.2 billion in high bids.

BOEM estimates the sale could generate production of 116 to 200 million barrels of oil and 538 to 938 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

The proposed economic terms for the sale will not include the provision for deep gas royalty relief under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which will end May 3. However, ultra-deep gas royalty relief required under the EPAct will still be available, BOEM said in a statement.

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