Chevron Corp. may be one of the first companies to ask permission to drill new wells in the Gulf of Mexico since the moratorium was lifted.
The San Ramon, Calif., oil giant said Thursday it plans to file an application for drilling permits in the next several days for various deepwater projects in the Gulf.
The government says it hasn't received any new applications for drilling permits since the Interior Department lifted the ban earlier this month.
A Chevron spokesman didn't specify which projects would be included in the application. But the company said it will devote $7.5 billion toward two new fields in about 7,000 feet of water off the Louisiana coast.
Projects at those depths were halted for several months following an explosion on a BP operation that killed 11 people and led to the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
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