BP has sanctioned development of the Thunder Horse South Expansion Phase 2 project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM), a move the company hopes will further boost output at one of the largest fields in the area.
The project will add two new subsea production units roughly 2 miles south of the existing Thunder Horse platforms along with two new production wells in the near term. BP said eight wells will eventually be drilled as part of the overall development. The project is expected to add an estimated 50,000 BOE/D of production at its peak at the existing Thunder Horse platform, with first oil expected in 2021.
“This latest expansion at Thunder Horse is another example of how the Gulf of Mexico is leading the way in advantaged oil growth for BP, unlocking significant value and safely growing a high-margin business,” Starlee Sykes, BP’s regional president for the GOM and Canada, said in a statement.
Thunder Horse South Expansion Phase 2 follows several other major expansion projectsat the offshore platform in recent years. An earlier expansion project at Thunder Horse started up ahead of schedule and under budget in early 2017, raising output at the facility by an additional 50,000 BOE/D. In 2016, BP started up a water injection project at Thunder Horse to enhance oil production at the field.
Developed with co-owner ExxonMobil, the Thunder Horse platform sits in more than 6,000 ft of water and began production in June 2008. It has the capacity to handle 250,000 gross B/D of oil and 200 MMcf/D of natural gas.