bp starts up Argos expansion project in ‘Gulf of America’

bp says that it has successfully started up its Argos Southwest Extension project, the first in a series of new projects it is planning in what it describes as the “US Gulf of America” between now and the end of the decade.

These projects, bp says, will enable it to expand domestic energy production and deliver on its strategy to safely and profitably grow its global oil and natural gas business.

The Argos Southwest Extension project adds 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) of gross peak annualized average production at the existing Argos platform. Argos, which began production in 2023, is bp’s fifth operated production platform in the “Gulf of America” with a gross production capacity of up to 140,000 barrels of oil per day.

The Argos Southwest Extension project will add three wells and include a new drill center roughly five miles southwest of the Argos platform. The subsea tieback, which connects new wells to existing offshore production facilities through pipelines, will extend the footprint of the Mad Dog field discovered in 1998.

bp says that it delivered the Argos Southwest Extension project seven months ahead of schedule by implementing concurrent workstreams, optimizing project management and engaging in early procurement. From the completion of the appraisal well in May 2023 to first oil, the project reached startup in approximately 25 months – setting a record for bp.

bp says that the Argos Southwest Extension is one of 10 major project startups it plans to deliver globally by 2027, as part of its strategy to grow its upstream business and long-term shareholder value.

It is also the first of three major expansions and new build projects in the deepwater “Gulf of America” that will enable bp to boost its capacity to produce around 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from the US offshore region by the end of this decade.

Following Argos Southwest Extension, bp says that it plans to deliver two additional expansion projects in the “Gulf of America” by 2027:

• The Atlantis Drill Center 1 Expansion, which will add around 15,000 boe/d of gross peak production, is expected to start up in 2026.
• The Atlantis Major Facility Expansion, which will further increase production from the Atlantis field using existing infrastructure, is expected to start up in 2027.

Beyond expanding existing production hubs, bp says that it is investing in Kaskida, its sixth platform in the “Gulf of America” that represents bp’s first step toward unlocking 10 billion barrels of discovered resources in the Paleogene, an oil-rich geological area about 250 miles southwest of New Orleans. Kaskida, which will have a production capacity of 80,000 barrels per day, is expected to start up in 2029.

bp says that it is also working toward reaching a final investment decision on its Tiber-Guadalupe project in 2025.