Promise of Deep Gas in the Gulf of Mexico

摘要

As the Nation continues to face increased demand for environmentally safe, cleanenergy resources, there are increasing calls to look for resources in places that have not been as economic or as attractive in the past. One of these areas is the potential for deep gas on the Gulf of Mexico continental shelf. This offshore province has been rigorously explored, especially the shallow-water area. However, sediments located at depths greater than 15,000 feet below sea level (subsea) and in less than 200 meters (656 feet) water depth on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are relatively unexplored. Only 5 percent of all wells drilled on the OCS have penetrated sediments below 15,000 feet subsea. Yet, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) estimates there could be 5 to 20 Tcf, with the most likely value at 10.5 Tcf of deep gas recoverable resources below this depth. To get at these resources successfully will require some special resources. In order to achieve economic success, deep wells require larger structures (which means higher resources)and there must be the potential for higher flow rates to compensate for higher drilling costs. The MMS is committed to working with offshore operators to explore and develop the undiscovered, recoverable deep gas resources on the OCS.MMS has already offered incentives in the form of royalty relief on deep gas production from new OCS leases issued in Sale 178 (March 2001),and is considering various options for offering incentives to explore and produce deep gas from OCS blocks that have been leased in previous sales. New discoveries of deep gas on the OCS offer the best short-term opportunity for achieving the large reserve additions and necessary high flow rates to offset declining gas production, which has been falling since 1997. Recent deep gas discoveries on the OCS have shown these new completions can produce as much 20 to 80 million cubic feet per day (MMcfpd). The abundance of platforms, producing facilities, and pipelines on the shelf will allow new deep gas production to flow quickly to the market to help meet increasing U.S. demand for gas.