Oil and gas supermajor BP has announced the start-up of the Herschel Expansion project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Herschel is the first of four major projects scheduled to be delivered globally in 2022. Phase 1 of the Herschel Expansion project comprises the development of a new subsea production system and the first of up to three wells tied to the Na Kika platform.
At its peak, this first well is expected to increase platform annual gross production by an estimated 10,600 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boepd).
According to the supermajor, this is part of BP’s strategy to invest in focused and resilient hydrocarbons.
“BP continues to grow its position in the Gulf of Mexico by bringing online high-quality projects. Like other recent start-ups in the Gulf of Mexico, with Herschel we are tying into existing infrastructure to produce some of the most efficient barrels in the world,” Starlee Sykes, BP senior vice president for Gulf of Mexico and Canada, said.
“Focusing our hydrocarbons business on the highest quality resources such as these sits at the heart of bp’s strategy. Doing so safely, ahead of schedule and under budget is testament to the caliber of the team,” Sykes added.
The Herschel Expansion field is in the Mississippi Canyon block 520. The well, drilled to a depth of approximately 19,000 feet, is located southeast of the Na Kika platform, some 140 miles off the coast of New Orleans. The project provides infrastructure for future well tie-in opportunities. BP and Shell each hold a 50 percent working interest in Herschel.
“Herschel is a great example of the type of fast-payback, high-return tie-back opportunities we continue to deliver as we focus and high-grade our hydrocarbons portfolio. I would like to thank the team for their commitment to the safe and early execution of this project,” Ewan Drummond, BP senior vice president of projects, production, and operations, added:
Apart from Na Kika, BP operates three more production platforms in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico – Thunder Horse, Atlantis, and Mad Dog – with a fifth platform, Argos, expected to come online in 2022.
It is worth noting that the company anticipates growth in its production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to about 400,000 boepd net by the mid-2020s.
