By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 18 -- The US Minerals Management Service has issued the final notice for Western Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 200, scheduled for Aug. 16 in New Orleans.
Sale 200 offers 3,865 blocks covering 20.87 million acres 9-210 miles off Texas and Louisiana in 8-3,000 m of water. MMS estimates the sale could result in the production of 136-262 million bbl of oil and 0.81-1.44 tcf of gas (OGJ Online, Apr. 17, 2006, Newsletter).
MMS said Sale 200 is expected to be the last western gulf sale to contain certain blocks in the Garden Banks, Keathley Canyon, and Sigsbee Escarpment map areas. The blocks in question will transfer from the western gulf planning area to the central gulf planning area if the Draft Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-12, as currently formulated, is implemented in July 2007.
After this sale, all unleased blocks will be transferred and will not be available for lease until after the next central gulf sale, tentatively planned for March 2008.
