Anadarko apparent winner in GOM sale

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said Dec. 5 that it is was the apparent high bidder on 26 tracts in the eastern Gulf of Mexico lease sale 181.

The company submitted winning bids representing a total investment of about $136 million. The 26 tracts cover nearly 150,000 acres in water depths ranging from 7,000 to 9,500 feet. The U.S. Department of the Minerals Management Service said the area of sale 181 is in deepwater off Alabama and Louisiana.

Robert J. Allison Jr., Anadarko chairman and chief executive officer, commended MMS for their dedicated effort to move forward with the Eastern Gulf of Mexico sale. “These tracts have not been available for exploration since 1988, well before major advancements in deep water exploration and production technology. The opportunity to explore this acreage, and the significant resources that lie beneath, is a positive move for this Administration and for energy consumers,” he said.

Prior to this sale, Anadarko held a total of 351 leases in the Gulf, of which 109 are located in deep water. Additionally, the company has a partnership with BP to explore 95 deep water blocks held by BP in the Garden Banks and Keathley Canyon areas of the Central Gulf of Mexico.