BP PLC has sanctioned development of Phase 2 of the Thunder Horse South expansion project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
The project—which at peak is expected to add 50,000 boe/d gross of production from the existing Thunder Horse platform—is due for startup in 2021.
This project will add two subsea production units 2 miles south of the existing Thunder Horse platform, with two production wells to be added in the near term. Eventually, eight wells will be drilled as part of the overall development, BP said.
This latest expansion comes on the heels of several other expansion projects at the Thunder Horse platform in recent years. An earlier South expansion project at the field started up ahead of schedule and under budget in early 2017 and raised output at the facility by an additional 50,000 boe/d (OGJ Online, Jan 23, 2017). In October 2018, the Thunder Horse Northwest expansion project came online and is expected to boost production by 30,000 boe/d (OGJ Online, Oct. 18, 2018). BP in 2016 started up a water injection project at Thunder Horse to enhance oil production from the field (OGJ Online, May 25, 2016).