Despite corporate mandates to reduce carbon emissions and a temporary halt for new federal leases in the Gulf of Mexico, Royal Dutch Shell sees itself drilling for more oil off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, reports Houma Today.
In 2020, Shell drilled 137.7 million barrels of crude oil across the Gulf of Mexico, the most prolific operator in the deep water oil fields, according to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement data. That’s less than 147.3 million barrels the company produced in 2019 because global demand plummeted due to the pandemic-fueled economic recession, but in general the company has been producing more offshore oil each year, records show.
For local companies, that means service contracts. In May 2020, Houma-based Danos was awarded a three-year contract with Shell to provide 144 workers as its oil and gas production workforce across its Gulf of Mexico portfolio including Appomattox and Auger. The company employs crane operators, control room and process operators, electricians, instrument technicians and logistics supervisors for Shell.
Shell, among others in the industry, argue that production offshore is less carbon-intensive because there are more restrictions around flaring and venting while the oil platforms run on natural gas as opposed to diesel generators. See the full story.
