Minerals Management Service publishes information on a
regular basis that provides valuable information for the evaluation of
potential hydrocarbon prospects in the Gulf of Mexico. This
publication highlights this published information as related to potential
prospects in the Deep Shelf Gas Trend on lease tracts available for bid in
Sale 187.
Prior to each lease sale, MMS publishes an Indicated
Hydrocarbon List which identifies all wells in the Gulf of Mexico with
occurrences of hydrocarbons. The wells on the Indicated Hydrocarbon List
are categorized as Class F, C, or Q wells. Class F tracts are defined as
unleased tracts that were formerly fields or portions of fields that
produced. Several tracts available for Lease Sale 187 have
wells that have previously
produced from intervals below 15,000’ True Vertical Depth (TVD) and have
water depths less than 200 meters. Class Q
tracts are defined as unleased tracts with a wellbore that qualified under
30 CFR 250.11 or 30 CFR 250.115/116 but the tract did not produce.
Several wells from the Class F and Class Q Indicated Hydrocarbon List are
on expired lease tracts that will be available for bids in Lease Sale 187
that are in water depths less than 200 meters with a total depth greater
than 15,000’ TVD. More detailed data on the wells used in the
aforementioned maps can be found on the Indicated Hydrocarbon List. In addition to the wells from the Indicated Hydrocarbon List, we
have included well information from 148 additional wells in the Western
Gulf of Mexico planning area that may provide pertinent information in the
identification and evaluation of prospects for Sale 187. All of the wells included in this
map are in less that 200 meters of
water, have a total depth greater than 15,000’ TVD, as well as having a
considerable logged section (100’ or more) below 15,000’ TVD.
The well information attached to the above maps is
also summarized in a spreadsheet that
can be accessed. The well information provided in this
publication is just an example and does not represent all of the well
information that MMS has available for the public. Additional information
(such as complete suites of well logs in hard copy, digital and raster
images, paleontological data, etc.) on the wells highlighted in this
publication is available through the MMS Public Information Office
(1-800-200-GULF).
There are several fields, active and expired, in the Western planning
area of the Gulf of Mexico that are in less than 200 meters of water that
have produced from completions below 15,000’ TVD. Much of
this information came from the 1999 Offshore Atlas . The complete
1999 Offshore Atlas is available through the
MMS Public Information Office. The cumulative production for each field is
from the MMS Field Directory which is updated monthly on the MMS website
.
We have selected seven prospects that typify potential plays in areas
(water depth<200 m) and depths (total depth >15,000’ TVD) that would
qualify for the Deep Gas Initiative if discoveries were made. The plays
from the MMS 2000 National
Assessment that have the greatest Deep Gas Initiative
potential are included with the prospect maps. If you have any questions
and/or comments, please feel free to contact Greg Condray at (504)736-2927
or Greg Whittle at (504)736-2658 or via email (links provided below).
Greg Condray
Greg Whittle
Disclaimer
