Estimated Oil and Gas Reserves
Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, December 31, 2001

OCS MMS 2004-073

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

As of December 31, 2001, about 4.03 billion barrels of petroleum liquids (both oil and natural gas condensate) and about 24.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas were estimated to exist as “remaining proved reserves” in 922 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, 2001, indicates an increase of about 1.03 billion barrels of liquid (oil and gas condensate) and a decrease of 0.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in remaining proved reserves as compared with the December 31, 2000, estimates.  New proved field discoveries account for an increase of 0.10 billion barrels of liquid and 0.9 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Unproved reserves as of December 31, 2001, 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 57 unproved active fields.  In summary, there are 992 active fields located in Federal waters.

Proved reserves are estimated to have been 16.51 billion barrels of oil and 172.0 trillion cubic feet of gas from 1,086 proved fields under the Federal submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico.  Included in this number are 164 fields that are depleted and abandoned; not included are the 57 unproved active fields.  As of December 31, 2001, cumulative production from these 1,086 fields was 12.48 billion barrels of oil and 147.7 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, 2002 is scheduled to be available in late December 2004.

The Minerals Management Service 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 lands.  MMS disbursed more than $8 billion in FY 2003 and more than $135 billion since the agency was created in 1982.  Nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund annually for the acquisition and development of state and Federal park and recreation lands

           

MMS Main Website: www.mms.gov
Gulf of Mexico Website:  www.gomr.mms.gov

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