Oil and gas lease sale starts new era in Gulf energy production

(The Center Square) – Auction of oil and gas drilling rights in the Gulf of America for the first time since 2023 was held Wednesday in New Orleans, marking a key milestone in the Trump administration’s effort to unleash energy production in federal waters. 

Statistical reports on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website show 26 companies submitted 219 bids spread across 1.02 million acres, representing about 1.3% of the total area offered in Big Beautiful Gulf 1, the official name of the auction. Companies could bid on more than 80 million acres in total.

The bureau’s acting director, Matt Giacona, said Wednesday in a livestream broadcast that the auction, the first of 30 mandated over the next 15 years by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, reflects President Donald Trump’s commitment to accelerate the development of domestic oil and gas resources and critical minerals.

“By expanding U.S. offshore capabilities, we're strengthening domestic industry, protecting consumers, creating jobs, and reinforcing this nation's position as the world's energy leader,” said Giacona.

The last lease sale in the Gulf, in December 2023, attracted interest from 26 companies submitting 311 bids spread across 1.7 million acres. The 2023 lease sale was twice delayed by lawsuits, with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans eventually mandating that the auction be held within 37 days.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by Trump on July 4, set the royalties oil and gas companies will pay to the U.S. government for production in federal waters at 12.5%. That's well below the 18.75% rate established for the 2023 lease sale by the Biden administration.

The bureau said the high bids in the Wednesday lease sale totaled about $279 million, less than the $382.17 million in high bids recorded in the December 2023 auction, which was the highest amount for an offshore sale since 2015.

The 26 firms submitting bids include international oil and gas companies like Chevron USA, Shell Offshore, and TotalEnergies E&P, and independents such as LLOG Exploration Offshore and Anadarko US Offshore.

Most of the bidding focused on acreage in the Keathley Canyon off the Louisiana coast and in the Mississippi Canyon, both areas with long histories of deepwater oil and gas production. 

The Mississippi Canyon is home to several of the largest deepwater fields in the Gulf, with top production blocks including Mars, Ursa and Mensa. In the Keathley Canyon, major oil fields include Tiber, Kaskida, Lucius, Buckskin, Leon and Castile.

The Salamanca Floating Production Unit, operated by Louisiana independent LLOG Exploration, began processing oil from the Leon and Castile fields in September 2025 and will connect to additional wells in late 2025 and 2026. Covington-based LLOG is an innovator in the use of subsea tie-backs, a cost-effective method for developing new oil fields in deepwater environments.

In fiscal year 2024, offshore oil and gas development in federal waters generated $6.5 billion in royalties, $372.5 million in bonuses, and $122.8 million in rental payments, according to U.S. Interior Department.