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Title: Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the South Atlantic (US) and their onshore impacts: a summary report, July 1980

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6104799

Activity in the search for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the South Atlantic Region began in 1960 when geophysical surveys of the area were initiated. In 1977, a Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test (COST) well was drilled in the Southeast Georgia Embayment. In March 1978, the first lease sale, Sale 43, was held, resulting in the lease of 43 tracts. Approximately a year later, in May 1979, the first exploratory vessel began drilling, and by February 1980, six exploratory wells had been drilled by four companies. However, hydrocarbons were not found in any of these wells. As of mid-February 1980, exploratory drilling activity had ceased, and none was planned for the near future. The next lease sale, Sale 56, is scheduled for August 1981. The most recent risked estimates (January 1980) by the US Geological Survey of undiscovered, economically recoverable oil and gas resources for the 43 tracts currently under lease in the South Atlantic Region are 7.9 million barrels of oil and 48 billion cubic feet of natural gas. On the basis of geologic information from wells completed to date, current prices of oil and gas, and the expense of constructing a pipeline to bring the hydrocarbons ashore, these resource estimates for currently leased tracts in the Region appear to be short of commercially producible amounts. Onshore impacts resulting from OCS exploration have been minimal. Tenneco, using existing facilities, has established a support base in Savannah, Georgia; Getty, Transco, and Exxon have used a support base established for them by the City of Brunswick, Georgia. All the companies have used a helicopter service operating from St. Simon's Island, Georgia.

Research Organization:
Rogers, Golden and Halpern, Inc., Reston, VA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6104799
Report Number(s):
USGS-OFR-80-626; ON: DE82900816
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English