bp starts up Herschel expansion in Gulf of Mexico

bp completed start up of the Herschel expansion project in the US Gulf of Mexico, providing infrastructure for future well tie-in opportunities and advancing the operator’s goal to increase production from the area to 400,000 boe/d by the mid-2020s.

The expansion is the first of four major projects scheduled to be delivered globally this year, the company said in a release Feb. 22.

Herschel expansion lies in Mississippi Canyon block 520, southeast of the bp-operated Na Kika platform in about 6,700 ft of water.

Phase 1 of the Herschel expansion project comprises development of a new subsea production system and the first of up to three wells tied to Na Kika platform. At its peak, this first well is expected to increase platform annual gross production by an estimated 10,600 boe/d.

The bp-operated well, drilled to a depth of about 19,000 ft, lies southeast of the platform, about 140 miles off the coast of New Orleans, La.

bp and Shell each hold a 50% working interest in Herschel development.

bp operates four production platforms in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico—Thunder Horse, Atlantis, Mad Dog, and Na Kika—with a fifth platform, Argos, expected to come online in 2022.