Company Adds Shelf Acreage Across Four Gulf of America Areas as the Third Sale Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Arena Energy, LLC (“Arena”), a leading independent oil and gas exploration company focused on the Gulf of America Shelf, today confirmed it was named apparent high bidder on nine Outer Continental Shelf blocks in the Gulf of America following Lease Sale BBG3 (Big Beautiful Gulf 3), held August 12, 2026, at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The sale, conducted by the Department of the Interior’s Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), was the third of 30 Gulf of America lease sales mandated under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Arena’s nine winning bids cover over 40,000 gross acres, in water depths from 56 to 266 feet at the standard 12.5 percent royalty rate. Most of the acreage is centered on the company’s core operating areas.
The winning blocks span four areas of the Gulf of America OCS Region: Matagorda Island Blocks 519, 528, and 529; Eugene Island Blocks 277, 280, 281, and 340; South Timbalier Block 54; and South Pelto Block 25.
Sale-wide, MMA reported that Lease Sale BBG3 generated over $80 million in apparent high bids for 59 blocks spanning over 300,000 acres, with 16 companies submitting bids.
“Lease sales are the lifeblood of continued production in the U.S. Gulf of America, where we produce the cleanest barrels in the world,” said Mike Minarovic, CEO and Founder of Arena Energy, LLC. “Arena has built its business by finding value in mature areas of the Gulf of America Shelf that others have passed over, and BBG3 gives us more opportunities to do exactly that.”
The acreage adds to Arena’s existing shallow-water footprint in the Gulf of America and follows the company’s participation in prior Big Beautiful Gulf sales.
About Arena Energy
Arena Energy, LLC was founded in 1999 on the belief that mature producing areas of the Gulf of America Shelf still held vast potential – and that with the right technology, talented oil and gas finders could unlock these drilling opportunities. Today, that vision has been realized many times over. Since its founding, Arena has grown into one of the largest private offshore oil and natural gas companies, having invested more than $5 billion of capital in the Gulf of America, paid $1.8 billion in royalties to the federal government, and decommissioned over three hundred wells and forty-five platforms and other structures. Arena takes pride in safely and responsibly producing the energy that powers the United States and the world.
Contact Information:
Kevin Bruce
Vice President – Government Affairs
kbruce@arenaoffshore.com
281-210-0536
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SOURCE Arena Energy, LLC
