Chevron said yesterday it has discovered oil in the deepest well ever drilled in the Gulf of Mexico. In a joint effort with three other companies, the refiner said it drilled a well to a depth of 34,189 ft., some 1,500 deeper than the previous record for a Gulf oil well. The site is about 170 miles southeast of New Orleans, in 3,500 ft. of water.
According to a report in the New York Times, Chevron is joined equally in the project by Nexen of Canada, Anadarko Petroleum and BHP Billiton of Australia. Nexen operates the block that is being drilled, while Chevron was operator on the well itself. Additional drilling is needed to determine if the well contains enough oil to make it commercially viable.
