bp started production from the Argos Southwest Extension project in the Gulf of Mexico, adding 20,000 boe/d of gross peak annualized average production at the existing Argos platform.
The project will add three wells and includes a new drill center about 5 miles southwest of Argos. The subsea tieback will extend the footprint of Mad Dog field, discovered in 1998.
Argos Southwest Extension was delivered 7 months ahead of schedule, according to bp. From completion of the appraisal well in May 2023 to first oil, the project reached startup in about 25 months.
Argos began production in 2023 from a semi-submersible floating production platform in 4,500 ft of water about 190 miles south of New Orleans. It is bp’s fifth operated production platform in the Gulf of Mexico with a gross production capacity of up to 140,000 bo/d (OGJ Online, April 13, 2023).
Following Argos Southwest Extension, bp plans to deliver two additional expansion projects in the Gulf of Mexico: the Atlantis Drill Center 1 Expansion, expected to start up in 2026 and deliver about 15,000 boe/d of gross peak production and the Atlantis Major Facility Expansion, expected to start up in 2027 and further increase production from the Atlantis field using existing infrastructure.
Beyond expanding existing production hubs, bp is investing in Kaskida, its sixth platform in the Gulf of Mexico which will access 10 billion bbl of discovered resources in the Paleogene, an oil-rich geological area about 250 miles southwest of New Orleans. Kaskida will have a production capacity of 80,000 b/d and is expected to start up in 2029. bp also is working toward reaching a final investment decision on its Tiber-Guadalupe project in 2025.
