Elf Exploration Inc News

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced the completion of the two-phase bid evaluation process for Lease Sale 172. This sale, held March 17, 1999, received 272 bids on 207 tracts offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Of the 207 high bids received, MMS rejected 16 high bids totaling $12.7 million as insufficient for fair market value. Two of the tracts are located on the shelf and 14 tracts are located in deepwater. As a result, MMS awarded $159.1 million in high bids. Sonat Exploration GOM Inc. Spinnaker Exploration Company, L.L.C. BHP Petroleum (Deepwater) Inc. Elf Exploration, Inc.

French oil company Elf Aquitaine has announced its U.S. oil and gas subsidiary Elf Exploration Inc. made its second deep offshore oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico this year. Elf officials said workers made the find at the Matterhorn well in the Mississippi Canyon Block 243, in which Elf Exploration Inc. has a 100 percent working interest. A Global Marine Celtic Sea semi-submersible vessel had drilled the well to a depth of 8,165 ft. and found 370 gross ft. of oil reservoirs in two zones, officials added. "Production tests showed a daily flow rate of 6,640 barrels of good quality oil as well as associated gas." The Matterhorn discovery follows Elf's March find at the Anconcagua prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 305.