Still, a March lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska drew a record $163 million in bids from established operators like ConocoPhillips, as well as companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp., which last drilled an exploratory well in the state in the early 1990s. Shell Plc, which abandoned Arctic exploration after a costly unsuccessful search for crude waters north of Alaska, partnered with Repsol SA to secure over 40 leases.