Thunder Horse South Expansion starts up ahead of schedule and under budget

BP announced on 23 January 2017 that it had started up the Thunder Horse South Expansion project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico 11 months ahead of schedule and $150mn under budget. The project is expected to boost production at the facility by an estimated 50,000 boe/d (gross), further increasing output at what is one of the largest oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico.

‘Thunder Horse South Expansion – along with our recent approval of the $9bn Mad Dog Phase 2 platform [which is expected onstream in late 2021] – demonstrates that the US Gulf of Mexico remains a key part of our global portfolio today and for many years to come, said BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley. ‘This project also marks the first of several major upstream start-ups expected before the end of this year and a major step towards our goal of adding 800,000 barrels of new production by 2020.’

The Thunder Horse South Expansion project adds a new subsea production system roughly two miles to the south of the existing Thunder Horse platform. The system is a collection point for wells connected to the Thunder Horse platform by two 11,000-foot flowlines installed on the seabed in late 2016.

BP reports that the project, in which it holds a 75% interest, was completed more than 15% below budget by relying on proven standardised equipment and technology rather than building customised components.

Developed with partner ExxonMobil (25%), the Thunder Horse platform sits in more than 6,000 feet of water and began production in June 2008. It has the capacity to handle 250,000 b/d of oil and 200mn cf/d of natural gas. The facility continued to operate during construction and installation of the new subsea production and pipeline system.

Photo: Thunder Horse, Gulf of Mexico

Photo source: BP