Table 6. Oil and gas recoverable reserves in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979 as 

 predicted by USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior (1980a). 



Oil Gas o 



Location (billion bbl )^ (trillion ft ) 



Western Gulf of Mexico 

 (Main pass area and west) 

 0-2,500 m water depth 5.2 69.0 



Eastern Gulf of Mexico 

 (East of main pass area) 

 0-2,500 m water depth 1.3 2.9 



Known reserves 2.8 37.2 



'^ bbl = barrel = 42 U.S. gallons. 



According to the 5-year OCS oil and gas leasing schedule of June 1980, 

 one lease sale in the eastern gulf is scheduled for October 1981. Tracts for 

 lease sales gulfwide may include Florida waters (Lease Sale No. A66, July 

 1981; 67, March 1982; 69, August 1982). 



OCS OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION FACILITIES 



Exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources on the 

 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) involves a variety of onshore facilities. Gen- 

 erally in frontier areas like the eastern gulf, OCS oil and gas explorations 

 are performed by an imported specialized industrial group. A profitable find 

 would require facilities in a nearby coastal area. The economic requirements 

 for certain types of OCS onshore facilities (e.g., refineries, processing 

 plants, and fabrication yards) are such that in many cases, a high level of 

 oil and gas production is necessary to support new or sizable onshore facili- 

 ties and services. In the case of marginal production or profit from produc- 

 tion, the offshore operations probably would be serviced by existing facili- 

 ties in Texas or Louisiana. 



PHASES OF OCS OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION 



The six phases of OCS activities are: (1) tract selection, (2) leasing, 

 (3) exploration, (4) development, (5) production, and (6) shut down. These 

 phases may span a period of 15 to 40 years, but there is a considerable over- 

 lap. With the exception of geophysical and geological exploration vessels 

 that locate oil and gas bearing geological formations, there is little busi- 

 ness for onshore facilities or services during the leasing phase. 



145 



