BP Cranks Up Thunder Horse Expansion Project In GoM

BP Plc (NYSE: BP) has started production at its deepwater Thunder Horse Northwest Expansion project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM), marking the fourth major project startup for the British major this year.

The expansion project, which the company said was completed four months early and 15% under budget, is expected to increase production at the Thunder Horse Field by about 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) to reach more than 200,000 boe/d.

The tieback project involved adding a new subsea manifold and connecting two wells to existing flowlines about 3 km (2 miles) north of the Thunder Horse platform. The project marks the third major project in the last three years at the field. BP said a major water injection project was completed in 2016 to enhance oil production, and another expansion project last year boosted gross production at the field by more than 50,000 boe/d.