A major sale of oil and gas leases in U.S. waters on Wednesday generated $93 million in high bids, the lowest total since 2016 amid a steep slide in oil prices that has cast doubt over energy projects around the globe.
The more than 78 million-acre (31.6 million hectares) sale attracted bids on 397,286 acres, or 0.5 percent of the total, according to a document posted online by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ahead of the sale. It was the lowest number of acres bid since the agency started holding region-wide lease sales in 2017.
The sale was the first federal offshore oil and gas lease sale since August of last year, which received $159.4 million in high bids.
Firing up offshore drilling is a crucial part of President Donald Trump’s “energy dominance†agenda to maximize domestic production of crude oil, natural gas and coal.
But the energy industry is in crisis as the coronavirus decimates world demand for fuel and crushes prices. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have opted not to cut production, further adding to a worldwide supply glut. U.S. oil prices have dropped roughly in half since the middle of February to about $27 a barrel.
Before the slump, recent lease sales of similar size in the Gulf of Mexico have attracted bids on just a small fraction of available acreage. But two auctions in 2019 generated the highest annual bid level in four years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees the sales.
Wednesday’s lease sale was scheduled late last year, long before countries including the United States took unprecedented steps to contain a coronavirus pandemic that has curbed demand for crude and products such as gasoline and jet fuel.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus highlights the particular challenges that large offshore operators face. Companies like BP and Shell, which have platforms that house over 200 people in tight quarters, have had to add health screening for employees due to the fast-spreading virus.
While operators on on-shore rigs can go home each day, offshore workers generally spend 14 days together in dormitory-style housing with shared cafeterias.
Source: Reuters
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