1. LawStack
  2. Title 30 - Mineral Resources
  3. Chapter II - BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
  4. Subchapter A - MINERALS REVENUE MANAGEMENT
  5. Part 203 - RELIEF OR REDUCTION IN ROYALTY RATES
  6. Subpart B - OCS Oil, Gas, and Sulfur General
  7. Topic - Royalty Relief for Drilling Deep Gas Wells on Leases Not Subject to Deep Water Royalty Relief
  8. 30 CFR § 203.41
30 CFR § 203.41
If I have a qualified deep well or a qualified phase 1 ultra-deep well, what royalty relief would my lease earn?
July 29, 2020
CFR

(a) To qualify for a suspension volume under paragraphs (b) or (c) of this section, your lease must meet the requirements in §203.40 and the requirements in the following table.

Open Table
If your lease has not . . . And if it later . . . Then your lease . . .
(1) produced gas or oil from any deep well or ultra-deep well, Has a qualified deep well or qualified phase 1 ultra-deep well, earns an RSV specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) produced gas or oil from a well with a perforated interval whose top is 18,000 feet TVD SS or deeper, Has a qualified deep well with a perforated interval whose top is 18,000 feet TVD SS or deeper or a qualified phase 1 ultra-deep well, earns an RSV specified in paragraph (c) of this section.

(b) If your lease meets the requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, it earns the RSV prescribed in the following table:

Open Table
If you have a qualified deep well or a qualified phase 1 ultra-deep well that is: Then your lease earns an RSV on this volume of gas production:
(1) An original well with a perforated interval the top of which is from 15,000 to less than 18,000 feet TVD SS, 15 BCF.
(2) A sidetrack with a perforated interval the top of which is from 15,000 to less than 18,000 feet TVD SS, 4 BCF plus 600 MCF times sidetrack measured depth (rounded to the nearest 100 feet) but no more than 15 BCF.
(3) An original well with a perforated interval the top of which is at least 18,000 feet TVD SS, 25 BCF.
(4) A sidetrack with a perforated interval the top of which is at least 18,000 feet TVD SS, 4 BCF plus 600 MCF times sidetrack measured depth (rounded to the nearest 100 feet) but no more than 25 BCF.

(c) If your lease meets the requirements in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, it earns the RSV prescribed in the following table. The RSV specified in this paragraph is in addition to any RSV your lease already may have earned from a qualified deep well with a perforated interval whose top is from 15,000 feet to less than 18,000 feet TVD SS.

Open Table
If you have a qualified deep well or a qualified phase 1 ultra-deep well that is . . . Then you earn an RSV on this amount of gas production:
(1) An original well or a sidetrack with a perforated interval the top of which is from 15,000 to less than 18,000 feet TVD SS, 0 BCF.
(2) An original well with a perforated interval the top of which is 18,000 feet TVD SS or deeper, 10 BCF.
(3) A sidetrack with a perforated interval the top of which is 18,000 feet TVD SS or deeper, 4 BCF plus 600 MCF times sidetrack measured depth (rounded to the nearest 100 feet) but no more than 10 BCF.

(d) Lessees may request a refund of or recoup royalties paid on production from qualified wells on a lease that is located in water entirely deeper than 200 meters but entirely less than 400 meters deep that:

(1) Occurs before December 18, 2008; and

(2) Is subject to application of an RSV under either §203.31 or §203.41.

(e) The following examples illustrate how this section applies, assuming your lease meets the location, prior production, and lease issuance conditions in §203.40 and paragraph (a) of this section:

Example 1: If you have a qualified deep well that is an original well with a perforated interval the top of which is 16,000 feet TVD SS, your lease earns an RSV of 15 BCF under paragraph (b)(1) of this section. This RSV must be applied to gas production from all qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48. However, if the top of the perforated interval is 18,500 feet TVD SS, the RSV is 25 BCF according to paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
Example 2: If you have a qualified deep well that is a sidetrack, with a perforated interval the top of which is 16,000 feet TVD SS and a sidetrack measured depth of 6,789 feet, we round the measured depth to 6,800 feet and your lease earns an RSV of 8.08 BCF under paragraph (b)(2) of this section. This RSV would be applied to gas production from all qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48.
Example 3: If you have a qualified deep well that is a sidetrack, with a perforated interval the top of which is 16,000 feet TVD SS and a sidetrack measured depth of 19,500 feet, your lease earns an RSV of 15 BCF. This RSV would be applied to gas production from all qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48, even though 4 BCF plus 600 MCF per foot of sidetrack measured depth equals 15.7 BCF because paragraph (b)(2) of this section limits the RSV for a sidetrack at the amount an original well to the same depth would earn.
Example 4: If you have drilled and produced a deep well with a perforated interval the top of which is 16,000 feet TVD SS before March 26, 2003 (and the well therefore is not a qualified well and has earned no RSV under this section), and later drill:

(i) A deep well with a perforated interval the top of which is 17,000 feet TVD SS, your lease earns no RSV (see paragraph (c)(1) of this section);

(ii) A qualified deep well that is an original well with a perforated interval the top of which is 19,000 feet TVD SS, your lease earns an RSV of 10 BCF under paragraph (c)(2) of this section. This RSV would be applied to gas production from qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48; or

(iii) A qualified deep well that is a sidetrack with a perforated interval the top of which is 19,000 feet TVD SS, that has a sidetrack measured depth of 7,000 feet, your lease earns an RSV of 8.2 BCF under paragraph (c)(3) of this section. This RSV would be applied to gas production from qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48.

Example 5: If you have a qualified deep well that is an original well with a perforated interval the top of which is 16,000 feet TVD SS, and later drill a second qualified well that is an original well with a perforated interval the top of which is 19,000 feet TVD SS, we increase the total RSV for your lease from 15 BCF to 25 BCF under paragraph (c)(2) of this section. We will apply that RSV to gas production from all qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48. If the second well has a perforated interval the top of which is 22,000 feet TVD SS (instead of 19,000 feet), the total RSV for your lease would increase to 25 BCF only in 2 situations: (1) If the second well was a phase 1 ultra-deep well, i.e., if drilling began before May 18, 2007, or (2) the exception in §203.31(b) applies. In both situations, your lease must be partly or entirely in less than 200 meters of water and production must begin on this well before May 3, 2009. If drilling of the second well began on or after May 18, 2007, the second well would be qualified as a phase 2 or phase 3 ultra-deep well and, unless the exception in §203.31(b) applies, would not earn any additional RSV (as prescribed in §203.30), so the total RSV for your lease would remain at 15 BCF.
Example 6: If you have a qualified deep well that is a sidetrack, with a perforated interval the top of which is 16,000 feet TVD SS and a sidetrack measured depth of 4,000 feet, and later drill a second qualified well that is a sidetrack, with a perforated interval the top of which is 19,000 feet TVD SS and a sidetrack measured depth of 8,000 feet, we increase the total RSV for your lease from 6.4 BCF [4 + (600 * 4,000)/1,000,000] to 15.2 BCF {6.4 + [4 + (600 * 8,000)/1,000,000)]} under paragraphs (b)(2) and (c)(3) of this section. We would apply that RSV to gas production from all qualified wells on your lease, as prescribed in §§203.43 and 203.48. The difference of 8.8 BCF represents the RSV earned by the second sidetrack that has a perforated interval the top of which is deeper than 18,000 feet TVD SS.
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§ 203.40 Which leases are eligible for royalty relief as a result of drilling a deep well or a phase 1 ultra-deep well?
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§ 203.42 What conditions and limitations apply to royalty relief for deep wells and phase 1 ultra-deep wells?

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