bp starts up seventh major project of 2025

bp has achieved first oil from the Atlantis Drill Center 1 expansion project in the US Gulf of America, marking its seventh major upstream project startup this year.

The expansion is expected to contribute around 15,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in gross peak annualized average production to the existing Atlantis platform. Atlantis is one of bp’s longest-operating assets in the Gulf of America, with a gross production capacity of up to 200,000 barrels of oil per day.

The Drill Center 1 expansion involves the addition of two new wells to an existing drill center, a subsea hub that links multiple wells. A subsea tieback connects these new wells to current offshore production facilities via pipelines, extending the overall reach of the Atlantis field, which was originally discovered in 1998.

“Atlantis Drill Center 1 caps off an excellent year of seven major project start-ups for bp. This project supports our plans to safely grow our upstream business, which includes increasing US production to around 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030.”

 - Gordon Birrell, EVP, production & operations 

bp completed the Atlantis Drill Center 1 expansion project two months earlier than planned by leveraging existing subsea inventory, improving drilling and well completion efficiency, and optimizing offshore execution planning. This marks bp’s fifth major project startup this year to be delivered ahead of schedule.

"Atlantis Drill Center 1 caps off an excellent year of seven major project start-ups for bp. This project supports our plans to safely grow our upstream business, which includes increasing US production to around 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030. 

“This latest success demonstrates the dedication of our US project team and our teams around the world, who are delivering new barrels at pace and with lower production costs, in service of growing long-term value for shareholders," said Gordon Birrell, bp’s executive vice president of production and operations.

The Atlantis Drill Center 1 expansion is the second in a series of new developments bp plans to advance in the US Gulf of America through the end of the decade. Together, these projects are expected to support bp’s goal of increasing offshore US production capacity to more than 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030.

In August 2025, bp brought the Argos Southwest Extension project online. This three-well subsea tieback is contributing an additional 20,000 boe/d of gross peak annualized average oil production to the Argos platform. Looking ahead to 2027, bp intends to deliver the Atlantis Major Facility Expansion, which is set to further lift output from the Atlantis field by making use of existing infrastructure.

 “This expansion at Atlantis is further testament to the benefits of maximizing production from our existing platforms in the Gulf of America, growing bp’s US offshore energy production safely and efficiently. 

“We are committed to investing in America as we firmly believe this region will continue to play a critical role in delivering secure and reliable energy to the world today and tomorrow,” said Andy Krieger, bp’s senior vice president for the Gulf of America and Canada.

In addition to the Atlantis Drill Center 1 expansion project, bp started up major projects this year in Trinidad and Tobago (2), the UK North Sea, Egypt, Mauritania and Senegal, as well as Argos Southwest Expansion in the Gulf of America – contributing to its plan to deliver 10 major project startups globally by 2027. 

bp is Atlantis’ operator with 56% working interest. The co-owner is Woodside Energy (44% working interest).