bp lets subsea boosting contract for Thunder Horse project

bp plc has let a contract to the SLB OneSubsea joint venture provide a subsea boosting system for the Thunder Horse project in the Gulf of Mexico.

As part of the engineering, procurement, and construction contract, SLB OneSubsea will deliver a subsea boosting system, alongside associated project management, engineering, manufacturing, and testing required for execution, SLB said in a release June 8.

bp took final investment decision to install a subsea pump at Thunder Horse oil field in May aimed at increasing production at the ultra-deepwater production platform. 

The project is expected to add about 15,000 boe/d of peak gross annual average production following start up in 2028, comparable to drilling up to two new wells, while reducing pressure across existing wells, the operator said at the time.

The subsea pump project is an approach that bp intends to extend to the Kaskida and Tiber developments, which are expected to begin production in 2029 and 2030, respectively. bp let subsea boosting contract awards for the developments to SLB OneSubsea.

The Thunder Horse platform sits in more than 6,000 ft of water in the Mississippi Canyon area and began production in June 2008. The platform can handle 250,000 bbl of oil (gross) and 200 MMcfd natural gas (gross).

bp is operator at Thunder Horse (75%) with partner ExxonMobil (25%).