29 September 2025 - 15:04 CEST | PDF | 178.03 KB
Repsol achieves first oil at Leon-Castile, adding to its long-term energy production in the United States
Press Release
29/09/2025 15:00
- Production has begun at a well in the Leon field offshore Louisiana, with two other wells expected to come online in Leon and the adjacent Castile field in the coming months.
- This historic project marks the first time an offshore facility has been refurbished in the US Gulf with the Salamanca floating production unit (FPU), which significantly reduced the project’s climate footprint.
- Together with the Pikka development in Alaska, anticipated to come online at the beginning of 2026, the Leon-Castile project adds to Repsol’s growing energy production in the US, confirming the country’s strategic role as a core growth region in its 2024-2027 Strategic Plan.
The consortium of Repsol, LLOG Exploration Offshore, and O.G. Oil & Gas have achieved first oil at the deepwater Leon-Castile fields, offshore Louisiana in the Gulf of America, with production starting from a well at Leon. Two other wells are expected to come online this year in Leon and the adjacent Castile field, with production at two additional wells planned in 2026.
This strategic project adds important long-term energy production in the US and reflects Repsol’s strong commitment to the prolific deepwater basin as a core region for upstream investment. Repsol holds a 50% working interest in Leon and 35.62% in Castile, as well as 2.5% in the Salamanca floating production unit (FPU), which has an initial production capacity of 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 40 million cubic feet of gas per day.
Production from the Leon-Castile development is being processed at the dedicated Salamanca FPU. This historic facility is the first to be refurbished in the US Gulf, delivering an estimated 87% reduction in emissions compared to the construction of a new unit. Additionally, by modifying a previously built production unit, the time to bring these discoveries online has also been reduced significantly.
“Since Repsol drilled the discovery well at Leon in 2014, we have been working diligently to advance this important project to supply secure, reliable and affordable energy in the Gulf for decades to come,” Repsol’s Gulf of America Business Unit Director, David Ramos said. “The opportunity to jointly develop Leon and Castile reflects our strategy to safely and efficiently deliver better barrels in established basins like the Gulf, where we already have the technical expertise, experienced partners and a strong legacy of success.”
“We are especially proud of the economic benefits this project has delivered for local communities on the Gulf Coast by supporting energy workers, and the technical and environmental milestone of being the first project to repurpose an existing production platform in the Gulf of America. The historic achievements made at this key project for Repsol would not have been possible without the dedication of our partners and our team, and we extend our gratitude to everyone involved.”
The company has been active in the Gulf for more than two decades and has participated in multiple discoveries, including drilling the Buckskin and Leon discoveries in 2009 and 2014, respectively. Repsol is also a partner in the Shenzi field. In addition to its development projects, the company holds an interest in more than 200,000 net acres for exploration in the basin and is advancing its first carbon, capture, and storage project with 140,000 acres of pore space leased in state waters offshore Texas near Corpus Christi.
Repsol has exploration and production assets in Texas, Pennsylvania, Alaska and the Gulf. It has 1,400 MW of installed solar generation and energy storage capacity in Texas and New Mexico, and more than 20 GW of renewable energy in development in 13 states. The company also operates an extensive crude oil, products and natural gas marketing and trading network in the country. It employs nearly 800 people in the United States and has invested more than $24 billion in the country since 2008 across all its business lines.