If an industry operator wishes to explore for or extract oil, natural gas or other marine minerals in federal waters, it must first obtain a lease. A lease gives the operator the exclusive right to operate on an offshore block of submerged land, usually measuring 3 miles by 3 miles. Leases are obtained via a bidding process during a lease sale. How the leasing process works.
Lease Sale Schedule
The National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program establishes a schedule of oil and gas lease sales, usually over a five-year period. The Program specifies the size, timing and location of potential leasing activity that the Secretary of the Interior determines will best meet national energy needs.
Currently BOEM is working under the 2017-2022 National OCS Program.
Alaska Lease Sales
- Lease Sale 258 - Cook Inlet. Sale completed Dec. 30, 2022.
- Proposed 2019 Beaufort Sea. OCS oil and gas lease sale.
- Lease Sale 244 - Cook Inlet. Sale completed June 21, 2017.
- Lease Sale 242 - Beaufort Sea. SALE 242 CANCELED OCT. 16, 2015.
- Lease Sale 237 - Chukchi Sea. SALE 237 CANCELED OCT. 16, 2015.
- Lease Sale 221 - Chukchi Sea. Revised 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-2012 removed Beaufort Sea Sales 209 and 217, and Chukchi Sea Sales 212 and 221 from the program.
- Lease Sale 219 - Cook Inlet. CANCELED in 2011 due to lack of industry interest.
- Lease Sale 217 - Beaufort Sea. Revised 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-2012 removed Beaufort Sea Sales 209 and 217, and Chukchi Sea Sales 212 and 221 from the program.
- Lease Sale 214 - North Aleutian Basin. In March 2010, the North Aleutian Basin was withdrawn from disposition for leasing through 2017, and this sale was canceled.
- Lease Sale 212 - Chukchi Sea. Revised 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-2012 removed Beaufort Sea Sales 209 and 217, and Chukchi Sea Sales 212 and 221 from the program.
- Lease Sale 211 - Cook Inlet. Canceled in 2009 due to lack of industry interest.
- Lease Sale 209 - Beaufort Sea. Revised 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-2012 removed Beaufort Sea Sales 209 and 217, and Chukchi Sea Sales 212 and 221 from the program.
- Lease Sale 202 - Beaufort Sea. Held April 18, 2007.
- Lease Sale 199 - Cook Inlet. Canceled in 2007 due to lack of industry interest.
- Lease Sale 195 - Beaufort Sea. Held March 30, 2005.
- Lease Sale 193 - Chukchi Sea. Held Feb. 6, 2008.
- Lease Sale 191 - Cook Inlet. Held May 19, 2004. No bids received.
- Lease Sale 186 - Beaufort Sea. Held September 24, 2003.
- Recaps of Older Alaska Lease Sales.
Maps Showing Active OCS Leases
- Alaska OCS Planning Areas
- Beaufort Sea - OCS Lease Ownership
- Cook Inlet - OCS Lease Ownership
- Alaska Cadastral Data
Data
- Detailed Listing of Active Leases. A table detailing all the individual tracts currently leased, including the lease owner, date leased, date lease expires, etc.
- Historical Alaska Region Lease Sales. This one-page table gives an overview of all lease sales held in Alaska, including number of tracts offered, number of tracts leased, and acreage.
- Alaska Lease Holdings by Owner. This table lists the companies currently holding leases in Alaska, together with the number of leases held and the resulting acreage.
- Alaska Lease Data Report. Contains a detailed, block-by-block breakdown (lease number, area code, block number, low and maximum water depths, protraction number, district code, distance to shore, and more) of Alaska leases.
- Combined Leasing Status Report. Updated monthly, this overview includes not only Alaska, but also the current leasing situations in BOEM's other two regions: The Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Contact
BOEM Alaska Region Leasing and Plans Office
3801 Centerpoint Drive Ste 500
Anchorage AK 99503-5823
Ph: 907-334-5274 Fax: 907-334-5322
If a leaseholder wants to explore for or develop oil and gas resources, the leaseholder must first submit a plan to BOEM for approval. The Plans Section coordinates the review and authorization of these plans.
Exploration Plans
An Initial Exploration Plan describes all exploration activities planned by an operator for a specific lease(s), the timing of these activities, information concerning drilling vessels, the location of each well, and an analysis of both offshore and onshore impacts that may occur as a result of the plan's implementation.
Development and Production Plans
A Development and Production Plan (DPP) is a plan that describes development and production activities proposed by an operator for a lease or group of leases. The description includes the timing of these activities, information concerning drilling vessels, the location of each proposed well or production platform or other structure, and an analysis of both offshore and onshore impacts that may occur as a result of the plan's implementation.
Ancillary Activities
Ancillary Activities are Geological and Geophysical (G&G) exploration and development activities conducted to detect oil, gas, or sulphur in commercial quantities. Other Ancillary Activities are conducted for data collection regarding geological, archaeological, biologic, oceanographic, or other information or studies related to discharge modeling. Geotechnical evaluations are Ancillary Activities designed to assess the geologic characteristics, stability, and potential hazards of a proposed site or route.
Hilcorp Cook Inlet
- Jan. 29, 2021: Hilcorp has submitted to the Alaska Region an ancillary activities notice.
- May 01, 2020: BOEM provides letter to Hilcorp Alaska LLC
Hilcorp/BP Liberty Prospect
- May 13, 2015: Letter from BOEM Alaska OCS Region to Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, noting no objection to their April 2, 2015 Notice of Intent to conduct ancillary activities in the Beaufort Sea in 2015.
- Apr. 02, 2015: Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, Notice of Intent to Conduct Shallow Hazard and Strudel Scour Investigation, Liberty Development Project, Beaufort Sea, Alaska.
- Feb. 03, 2015: Letter from BOEM Alaska OCS Region to Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, noting no objection to their Dec. 4, 2014 Notice of Intent to conduct ancillary activities in the Beaufort Sea in 2015.
- Dec. 04, 2014: Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, Notice of Intent to Conduct 2015 Winter On-Ice Geotechnical Investigation, Liberty Development project, Beaufort Sea, Alaska. The project scope includes two areas of investigations: onshore and offshore extending into state and federal waters of the Beaufort Sea. The OCS offshore activities are scheduled to begin in March 2015 and conclude in May 2015; attached is the Project Description/Plan of Operations, project area map, a Golder Associates Spill Emergency Response Plan, and Cultural Resources Review.
- 2014 Summer Open water Geophysical Investigation ancillary activities in support of the Liberty Development
- 2014 Winter On-Ice Geotechnical and Seabottom Investigation ancillary activities in support of the Liberty Development
- 2013 Summer Open water Geophysical Investigation ancillary activities in support of the Liberty Development
- 2013 Winter On-Ice Geotechnical and Seabottom Investigation ancillary activities in support of the Liberty Development
Shell
- July 17, 2013: Letter from BOEM Alaska OCS Region to Shell noting no objection to their Chukchi Sea open water marine survey plan.
- July 16, 2013: BOEM completes Environmental Assessment of Shell's 2013 Chukchi Sea Ancillary Activities Survey, and issues Finding of No Significant Impact.
- June 2013: Revised Shell Plan of Cooperation 2013 Proposed Open Water Marine Surveys Program 2013 Chukchi Sea (page 16 of May 22, 2013 Program Update redacted)
- June 5, 2013: Public Comment period ends.
- May 23,2013: BOEM Seeks Public Involvement in Preparing an Environmental Assessment for the Shell Chukchi Sea Ancillary Activities Notice for the 2013 Open Water Season.
- April 19, 2013: Ancillary Activity Notice of Intent for Marine Surveys in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska, During 2013. Replaces memo of Feb. 12, 2013.
- Feb. 12, 2013: Ancillary Activity Notice of Intent for 2013 Marine Surveys in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska.
Statoil
- Dec. 27, 2012: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management letter regarding Statoil's Final Archaeological Assessment of Geotechnical Cores and Materials report
- June 2012: Statoil's Archaeological Assessment of Geotechnical Cores and Materials, 2011 Chukchi Sea
- Alaska OCS Wells Drilled by Year - This chart shows the number of wells drilled each year (1975-present) in the Alaska OCS Region.
- Alaska OCS Wells by Planning Area - This table breaks down the number of wells drilled in each of Alaska's nine planning areas.
Detailed Breakdown of Wells by Planning Area
- Beaufort Sea
- Chukchi Sea
- Cook Inlet
- Gulf of Alaska
- Navarin Basin
- Norton Sound
- St. George Basin
- Deep Stratigraphic Test Wells (A DST Well is a well that is not intended to explore for or produce oil or gas. It is intended to gain a better understanding of the structure and composition of the sea floor and underlying layers of sediment.)
Alaska OCS Historical Plans
Beaufort Sea Planning Area
- AEC Exploration Plan OCS-Y-1578 McCovey
- Amoco Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0302 Mars
- Amoco Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0917 Belcher
- Amoco Exploration Plan OCS-Y-1092 Galahad
- ARCO Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0267 Fireweed
- ARCO Exploration Plan OCS-Y-1663 Warthog
- BP Exploration Plan OCS-Y-1650 Liberty
- Exxon Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0191 Beechey PT
- Exxon Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0280 Antares
- Exxon Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0804 Orion
- Phillips Exploration Plan OCS-Y-1578 McCovey
- Shell Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0181 Seal
- Shell Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0195 Tern
- Shell Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0370 Harvard
- Shell Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0871 Corona
- Sohio Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0334 Mukluk
- Tenneco Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0943 Aurora
- Tenneco-Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0338 Phoenix
- Union Oil Exploration Plan OCS-Y-0849 Hammerhead
Chukchi Sea Planning Area
Well Reports
- Y00871_001_Corona_well_reports
- Y00849_001_Hammerhead_well_reports
- Y00849_002_Hammerhead_well_reports
- Y00866_001_kuvlum (common name well#1)_well_reports
- Y00865_001_kuvlum (common name well#2)_well_reports
- Y00866_002_kuvlum (common name well#3)_well_reports
- Y0302_001_Mars_well_reports
- Y00338_001_Phoenix_well_reports
- Y01597_001_Wild_Weasel_well_reports
Contact
BOEM Alaska Region Leasing and Plans Office
3801 Centerpoint Drive Ste 500
Anchorage AK 99503-5823
Ph: 907-334-5274 Fax: 907-334-5322
Current and Historical Permits - A list of the currently open G&G permits in the Alaska Region, together with data regarding past permitting activities.
Obtaining a Permit - Companies that wish to collect geological and/or geophysical data on the Alaska OCS must obtain a permit from BOEM's Alaska Region Resource Evaluation Office. Here you will find permit application forms, and records concerning past permitting.
Resource Assessment Reports - Resource Evaluation prepares reports that describe the geology and petroleum potential of specific areas within the Alaska OCS. These geologic reports form part of the public information base for decision-making with regard to lease offerings. The reports cover a wide range of topics, including regional geology, petroleum geology and environmental geology.
Released Geological and Geophysical Data - Geological and geophysical exploration for oil and gas on the OCS is primarily carried out by private companies operating under BOEM permits. To ensure that the Federal Government receives fair market value for any leases issued, BOEM has acquired a large portion of the data resulting from these exploration activities. Federal regulations require that this data be held proprietary for 25 years, then released to the public. The first such data was released in 2001.
Contact
BOEM Alaska Region Leasing Office
3801 Centerpoint Drive Ste 500
Anchorage AK 99503-5823
Ph: 907-334-5274 Fax: 907-334-5322