Shell, Chevron make big find in the deep waters of Western Gulf of Mexico

Houston Chronicle:

Royal Dutch Shell said Wednesday it made a new discovery in the western Gulf of Mexico with Chevron.

The new "Whale" well struck a potentially major oil payload while drilling to about 23,000 feet in the deepwater Gulf about 200 miles southwest of Houston, Shell said. The area is about 10 miles from Shell's massive Perdido platform so the hope is Shell can develop the area and save money while using existing by connecting it to the existing platform and pipelines.

The discovery is within a block in the Alaminos Canyon portion of the Gulf. Shell owns 60 percent of the Whale well with Chevron holding the remaining 40 percent. It's located next to Shell's Silvertip field, which is one of the fields where the Perdido platform operates.

While most of the oil focus is on the onshore shale boom, especially in West Texas, the so-called Big Oil giants are emphasizing that they haven't given up on the deepwater Gulf. The offshore sector is showing signs of life, especially in areas where wells can be drilled and tied back into already developed areas and existing platforms.
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Unlike the East Coast and West Coast, such finds are no reason for panic along the Texas coast.  They mean jobs and energy resources for a growing economy.  There has also been a movement toward greater efficiency in offshore production as there has been in shale production.  It is unfortunate that many coastal states like California and Florida are opposed to the development of resources offshore.