Noble Energy is apparent high bidder on deepwater blocks
Blocks located in central Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf
Mikaila Adams, OGFJ Associate Editor
Noble Energy Inc. is the apparent high bidder on eight deepwater lease blocks on which the company bid at the central Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf sale 198, held March 15, 2006. Noble Energy bid with partners on seven of the apparent high bids and bid alone on the remaining apparent high bid.
Minerals Management Service, US Department of the Interior
Noble Energy’s share of the lease bonuses on the eight apparent high bids totals approximately $13.6 million. The eight high bid lease blocks cover in excess of 46,000 acres in water depths ranging from nearly 1,900 feet to nearly 5,700 feet. The company concentrated its bids on deepwater opportunities in the Atwater Valley, Green Canyon, and Mississippi Canyon areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
All apparent high bids are subject to approval by the Minerals Management Service of the US Department of the Interior. Of the apparent high bids, Noble Energy has a 50% working interest in seven of the eight blocks and a 100% working interest in one block. Noble Energy will be the operator of all eight blocks.
Charles D. Davidson, the company’s chairman, president, and CEO, said, “Our deepwater exploration partnership with Samson Offshore Co. was an important factor in our success at this lease sale by creating two independent teams to evaluate the best prospects. The new leases will add significant opportunities to our expanding deepwater exploration program.”
Noble Energy is an independent energy company operating throughout major basins in the United States including Colorado’s Wattenberg field, the Mid-continent region of western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, the San Juan basin in New Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, Noble Energy operates internationally in Argentina, China, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea, and Suriname. Noble Energy markets natural gas and crude oil through its subsidiary, Noble Energy Marketing Inc.