* BP's $21 million bid leads auction

* Chevron ( CVX ) bids nearly $11.5 million for three blocks

March 11 (Reuters) - A sale of drilling rights in the

Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday ended with $46.98 million in high

bids from oil and gas companies, with a single bid from BP

accounting for nearly half of the total, according to a

livestreamed U.S. government auction.

The sale, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management, yielded far less industry interest than the last one

three months ago. President Donald Trump's administration has

prioritized regular lease sales, and is planning for 30 in the

region through 2040.

A $21 million high bid from BP for a block in the Green

Canyon area was by far the auction's highest. Other high bidders

included Chevron ( CVX ), Woodside Energy ( WDS ), Shell

, LLOG Exploration and Anadarko. Chevron's ( CVX ) high bid

total, for three blocks, neared $11.5 million.

The bids were read via livestream on BOEM's website.

"Today's results are an important and necessary step

forward," Lanny Erdos, the Interior Department's acting

assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said at

the auction. "We have restored certainty. For far too long, the

offshore industry has operated under delays and policy

reversals."

BOEM is an arm of the Interior Department.