Anadarko has sold its working interest in the Equinor-operated Monument prospect, a subsalt Wilcox play covering six blocks in the Walker Ridge area about 175 miles (280 km) off the Louisiana coast. Anadarko US Offshore LLC and Venari Offshore LLC joined the project only nine months earlier, taking stakes of 41.66% and 16.67%, respectively, in January 2018. The formation of this new partnership had led to speculation that Equinor was setting the stage to test this prospect, which consists of Walker Ridge blocks 227, 270 (E/2), 271, 272, 315, and 316. In September 2015, government regulators approved a five-well, initial exploration plan submitted by Statoil (now called Equinor) for the prospect over Walker Ridge blocks 271 and 272, but the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has not issued any drilling permits for the planned Monument wells as of September 2018. With Anadarkoâs exit, Equinorâs working interest jumps from 41.67% to 60% while Venari now holds a 40% participating interest.   The prospect lies in some 6,700 ft (2,042 m) of water in the deepwater Central Gulf of Mexico. Statoilâs USD 81.7 million signature bonus for Walker Ridge block 271 was the highest bid on a block at Sale 227, held in March 2013. The company and original partner, Samson Offshore, paid over USD 160 million to assemble its six-block acreage position. The prospectâs apparent core leases at Walker Ridge blocks 271 and 272 remain valid through July 2023.
United States, not found