By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug. 2 -- The US Minerals Management Service awarded 84 leases in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska to Shell Offshore Inc.
Shell bid on the leases in Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 195 last March.
"We see the Beaufort Sea as a significant basin. It offers a wide diversity of geology and is largely untested," said Annell Bay, Shell's regional vice-president for exploration in the Americas. "We believe North America continues to hold promising opportunities. Alaska, because of its large resource potential, is one such area."
Shell plans to make additional investments in Alaska, officials said. It opened an office in Anchorage to help support its new Alaska business, and company officials are meeting with other stakeholders regarding the Beaufort Sea leases.
