The
NewsRoom
Release: #3225
Date: January 31, 2005
Gulf Deepwater Sees Major Advance in 2004;
Records Set
Emphasizing the major expansion of the oil and gas
industry in deepwater Gulf of Mexico, the Minerals Management Service
announces that there were 14 new deepwater startups and 12 new
deepwater discoveries in 2004. According to Chris Oynes, Gulf of
Mexico MMS Regional Director, “These 14 new deepwater startups and 12
deepwater discoveries show once again that the Gulf of Mexico is alive
and well, helping America meet her energy needs. This tenth year of
sustained expansion of deepwater production adds further to the
success of previous years.”
Six of these 14 starts are floating production
facilities (two tension-leg platforms [TLP] and four spars) that can
act as hubs for future subsea development projects. (See
Table 1.) Two of these startups broke
offshore records in 2004: ConocoPhillips’ Magnolia set the world
record for TLP water depth at 4,674 feet, and BP’s Holstein is the
world’s largest producing spar.
“Some of these new deepwater discoveries are opening
up new areas for natural such gas development in the eastern Gulf,”
said Oynes. “The discoveries of Atlas and San Jacinto in the Eastern
Gulf have helped bring economic viability to the Independence Hub
facility now being planned.” Oynes also noted that “ChevronTexaco’s
discoveries at Tiger, Silvertip, and Jack located in Alaminos Canyon
and Walker Ridge respectively, and Unocal’s discovery at Tobago in
Alaminos Canyon added new excitement to the Paleogene in this
area.”(See table 2.)
MMS, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior,
oversees 1.76 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, managing
offshore energy and minerals while protecting the human, marine, and
coastal environments through advanced science and technology research.
The OCS provides 30 percent of oil and 23 percent of natural gas
produced domestically, and sand used for coastal restoration. MMS
collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal
and American Indian lands, with fiscal year 2004 disbursements of
around $8 billion and more than $143 billion since 1982. The Land and
Water Conservation Fund, which pays for acquisition of state and
federal park and recreation land, gets nearly $1 billion a year.
Table 1: 2004 Deepwater Startups
Project Name |
Operator |
Area |
Block |
Water
Depth
(ft) |
System Type |
EB598/599 |
Kerr-McGee |
East Breaks |
598 |
3212 |
Subsea |
Raptor |
Pioneer |
East Breaks |
668 |
3710 |
Subsea |
Harrier |
Pioneer |
East Breaks |
759 |
4114 |
Subsea |
Llano |
Shell |
Garden Banks |
386 |
2663 |
Subsea |
Magnolia |
ConocoPhillips |
Garden
Banks |
783 |
4674 |
TLP |
Red Hawk |
Kerr-McGee |
Garden
Banks |
877 |
5334 |
Spar |
Glider |
Shell |
Green
Canyon |
248 |
3440 |
Subsea |
Front Runner |
Murphy |
Green
Canyon |
338 |
3330 |
Spar |
Marco Polo |
Anadarko |
Green
Canyon |
608 |
4320 |
TLP |
Holstein |
BP |
Green
Canyon |
645 |
4344 |
Spar |
Kepler/Na Kika |
Shell |
MississippiCanyon |
383 |
5759 |
Subsea |
Ariel/Na Kika |
Shell |
MississippiCanyon |
429 |
6240 |
Subsea |
Coulomb/Na Kika |
Shell |
MississippiCanyon |
657 |
7591 |
Subsea |
Devil’s Tower |
Dominion |
MississippiCanyon |
773 |
5610 |
Spar |
Table 2: 2004 Deepwater Discoveries
Prospect Name
|
Operator |
Area |
Block |
Water Depth
(ft) |
Tobago |
Unocal |
Alaminos Canyon |
859 |
9627 |
Silvertip |
ChevronTexaco |
Alaminos Canyon |
815 |
9226 |
Tiger |
ChevronTexaco |
Alaminos Canyon |
818 |
9004 |
Atlas |
Anadarko
Petroleum |
Lloyd Ridge |
5 |
8810 |
San Jacinto |
Dominion
Exploration |
Desoto Canyon |
618 |
7850 |
Jack |
ChevronTexaco |
Walker Ridge |
759 |
6965 |
Thunder Hawk |
Dominion
Exploration |
Mississippi
Canyon |
734 |
5724 |
Goldfinger |
Dominion
Exploration |
Mississippi Canyon |
771 |
5423 |
Ticonderoga |
Kerr-McGee |
Green Canyon |
768 |
5250 |
Puma |
BP Exp. & Prod.
Inc. |
Green Canyon |
823 |
4130 |
Dawson Deep |
Kerr-McGee |
Garden Banks |
625 |
2900 |
Crested Butte |
Nexen |
Green Canyon |
242 |
2846 |
Relevant Web Sites:
MMS Main Website
Gulf of Mexico Website
Media Contacts:
Dr. Joe Trahan (504) 736-2595
Debra Winbush (504) 736-2597
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for
America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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