SAN RAMON, Calif., Sep 06, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) today announced a new oil discovery at the Moccasin prospect in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The Keathley Canyon Block 736 Well No. 1 encountered more than 380 feet of net pay in the Lower Tertiary Wilcox Sands. The well is located approximately 216 miles off the Louisiana coast in 6,759 feet of water and was drilled to a depth of 31,545 feet.

"The Moccasin discovery underscores the importance of the deepwater Gulf of Mexico as a source of domestic energy for the United States and as a focus area for Chevron's worldwide exploration portfolio," said George Kirkland, vice chairman, Chevron Corporation. "Moccasin is an important addition to our queue of high-quality opportunities around the globe."

Chevron began drilling the Moccasin well in March 2010. That activity was stopped in June 2010 when the U.S. government imposed a moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Drilling resumed in March 2011 after the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement approved Chevron's revised drilling permit application.

The well results are still being evaluated, and additional work will be needed to determine the extent of the resource. Chevron, with a 43.75 percent working interest in the prospect, was the operator of the Moccasin discovery well. Other Moccasin owners are BP, with 43.75 percent, and Samson Offshore Company, with 12.5 percent.

Chevron is one of the largest leaseholders in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently developing the $7.5 billion Jack/St. Malo and the $4.1 billion Big Foot projects.

Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at http://www.chevron.com.

Cautionary Statement Relevant to Forward-Looking Information for the Purpose of "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Some of the items discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements about Chevron's activities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "schedules," "estimates," "budgets" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The statements are based upon management's current expectations, estimates and projections; are not guarantees of future performance; and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are changes in prices of, demand for and supply of crude oil and natural gas; actions of competitors; the inability or failure of the company's joint-venture partners to fund their share of operations and development activities; the potential failure to achieve expected net production from existing and future crude oil and natural gas development projects; potential delays in the development, construction or start-up of planned projects; the potential disruption or interruption of production and development activities due to war, accidents, political events, civil unrest, or severe weather; government-mandated sales, divestitures, recapitalizations and changes in fiscal terms or restrictions on scope of company operations; and general economic and political conditions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless legally required, Chevron undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation
Russell Johnson, +1-713-372-1841