Ineos Energy, part of the larger Ineos Group Ltd. of London, on Monday announced a new oil discovery in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, marking its first successful exploration well in the region.
The Nashville wildcat, operated by Shell, with 79% working interest, was drilled in the Norphlet formation more than five miles beneath the seabed and "confirmed high-quality oil in one of the Gulf’s most promising deepwater formations," according to a statement from Ineos, which holds the remaining 21% stake.
The discovery could be tied back to the nearby Shell-operated Appomattox semi-submersible floating production platform, Ineos said.
"This is a good result for Ineos Energy and an important step in building our presence in the U.S. Gulf where world-class resources are to be found and developed responsibly," said David Bucknall, CEO of INEOS Energy. "We believe Nashville will help strengthen energy security and provide reliable supplies for many years to come."
The well was drilled using the 781'x138' Transocean ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Proteus. Further technical work is underway to determine the size of the discovery, Ineos said.
Heather Osecki, CEO of Ineos Energy’s U.S. Gulf business, stated, "The drilling results at Nashville are very encouraging and fully in line with what we hoped to find. This discovery is an important first step in our plans to grow our existing assets while we look to further strengthen our position in the Gulf. We look forward to continuing our work to bring further value to the Appomattox host platform."
Ineos entered the Gulf of Mexico — renamed by the Trump administration as the Gulf of America — in 2022 through the acquisition of oil and gas assets from Shell, gaining non-operated interests in several deepwater developments, including Appomattox. The move formed part of the company’s strategy to expand its upstream portfolio beyond the North Sea.
