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Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region |
FOR RELEASE: | June 30, 1998 | Barney Congdon |
(504)) 736-2595
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Caryl Fagot | (504)736-2590 |
by Suzan M. Bacigalupi, Barbara J. Bascle, Clark J. Kinler, Michael T. Prendergast
As of December 31, 1996, about 2.74 billion barrels of petroleum liquids (both oil and natural gas condensate) and about 29.4trillion cubic feet of natural gas were estimated to exist as remaining proved reserves in 749 proved active fields of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf. This report, Estimated Proved and Unproved Oil and Gas Reserves Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, December 31, 1996, indicates an increase of about 0.41 billion barrels of liquid (oil and gas condensate) and an increase of 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas in remaining proved reserves as compared to the December31,1995, estimates. New proved field discoveries account for an increase of 0.33 billion barrels of liquid and 1.5trillion cubic feet of gas.
Unproved reserves as of December 31, 1996, have been estimated to be 1.00 billion barrels of oil and 3.7 trillion cubic feet of gas. These reserves are associated with 52 unproved active fields. There are 33 unproved active fields not studied. This makes a total of 834 active fields located in Federal waters.
Original proved reserves are estimated to have been 12.79 billion barrels of oil and 151.9 trillion cubic feet of gas from 920proved fields under the Federal submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Included in this number are 171 fields that are depleted and abandoned; not included are the 85 unproved active fields. As of December 31, 1996, cumulative production from these 920 fields was 10.05 billion barrels of oil and 122.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.
This report, just released, along with digital data, is available free via the MMS Internet homepage @ www.mms.gov. Paper copies are available from MMS at a cost of $3.00 and diskettes containing digital data at a cost of $1.00. Checks should be made payable to the Minerals Management Service. For information on purchasing this report contact:
MMS is the Federal Agency that manages the Nations oil and gas and other mineral resources on the OCS and collects, accounts for, and disburses about $6 billion yearly in revenues from Federal offshore leases and Federal and Indian onshore mineral leases.
-MMS-GOM-
MMS Internet website address:
http://www.mms.gov/
24 hour Fax-on-Demand Service: (202) 219-1703