Estimated Oil and Gas Reserves
Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, December 31, 2000

OCS MMS 2003-050

by T. Gerald Crawford, Grant L. Burgess, Clark J. Kinler, Michael T. Prendergast, Katherine M. Ross

As of December 31, 2000, about 3.00 billion barrels of petroleum liquids (both oil and natural gas condensate) and about 24.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas were estimated to exist as “remaining proved reserves” in 875 proved active fields of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf. This report, Estimated Oil and Gas Reserves Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, December 31, 2000, indicates an increase of about 0.02 billion barrels of liquid (oil and gas condensate) and an increase of 1.0 trillion cubic feet of gas in remaining proved reserves as compared with the December 31, 1999, estimates. New proved field discoveries account for an increase of 0.33 billion barrels of liquid and 2.6 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Unproved reserves as of December 31, 2000, have been estimated to be 2.22 billion barrels of oil and 4.1 trillion cubic feet of gas. These reserves include unproved reserves from proved and unproved active fields. There are 51 unproved active fields. In summary, there are 926 active fields located in Federal waters.

Proved reserves are estimated to have been 14.93 billion barrels of oil and 167.3 trillion cubic feet of gas from 1,050 proved fields under the Federal submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Included in this number are 175 fields that are depleted and abandoned; not included are the 51 unproved active fields. As of December 31, 2000, cumulative production from these 1,050 fields was 11.93 billion barrels of oil and 142.7 trillion cubic feet of gas.

This report, along with digital data, is available free via the MMS Internet homepage at www.gomr.mms.gov . A CD-ROM containing this report, digital data, field production plots and field production data will soon be available for a cost of $15.00. Checks should be made payable to the Minerals Management Service. For information on purchasing this report contact:

Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
Attn: Public Information Unit (MS 5034)
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394
(504) 736-2519 or 1-800-200-GULF or Fax (504) 736-2620

The next report, Estimated Oil and Gas Reserves Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, December 31, 2001 is scheduled to be available in late December 2003.

MMS is the Federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation's oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal offshore waters. The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian leases. These revenues totaled over $6 billion in 2002 and nearly $127 billion since the agency was created in 1982. Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and Federal park and recreation lands.

-MMS-GOM-
MMS's Website Address: http://www.mms.gov

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