General – USA
The US government is planning a new offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico for the third quarter of 2026.
This will be the third round under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed last year during the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
On 12 August, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will host the Big Beautiful Gulf 3 (BBG3) Lease Sale, offering 15,066 blocks covering approximately 80.4 million acres on the US outer continental shelf in the Gulf.
The unleased BBG3 blocks are located in water depths ranging from nine feet to more than 11,100 feet (three to 3,400 metres).
This will be the third of the 30 planned bid rounds for US Gulf acreage, as required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The US generated $279.4 million in high bids at the Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 1 (BBG1), which was held in December. Thirty companies submitted 219 bids across 181 tracts, marking the country’s first offshore oil and gas leasing auction in the basin in two years.
The Lease Sale Big Beautiful Gulf 2 (BBG2) is scheduled for 11 March.
According to BOEM, the proposed notice of sale will be available for public inspection in the Federal Register on 20 February.
