UK-headquartered energy giant BP and its U.S.-based partner ExxonMobil have embarked on a quest to boost output at an offshore platform in the Gulf of America (U.S. Gulf of Mexico), thanks to a subsea pump development.
BP and ExxonMobil announced a final investment decision (FID) for the Thunder Horse subsea pump project, which is expected to add around 15,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of peak gross annual average production. Based on current plans, first oil is expected to be delivered in 2028.
Joseph Scattergood , Project Manager, commented: “Enabled by close collaboration with our Thunder Horse co-owner, ExxonMobil, the subsea pump is a high priority development to deliver production at the platform by embracing industry solutions – it takes everyone’s commitment to safety, collaboration, quality, and capital productivity to deliver these projects successfully.”
The Thunder Horse subsea pump, which is described as a strategic investment to support and enhance production from BP’s largest oil and gas production platform, is perceived to represent the first application of a proven approach that the operator expects to extend to later developments such as Kaskida and Tiber .
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These two projects are expected to begin production in 2029 and 2030, respectively. BP claims that the subsea pump, seen as being cost-efficient by design, is expected to deliver production comparable to that of drilling up to two new wells, while reducing pressure across existing wells and helping position Thunder Horse to produce for longer.
The operator elaborated: “Technology plays a critical role in helping our Gulf of America team maximize production and unlock greater value from existing offshore production platforms. Subsea pumps are one example, supporting sustained and increased production over the life of our fields.
“A subsea pump is installed on the seafloor as part of a subsea production system. It boosts the flow of oil and gas from a reservoir, helping transport it more efficiently from the well to a production platform. It helps capture more of the oil and gas available underground, and sometimes it can even keep the platform producing for longer.”
BP’s energy portfolio entails many oil and gas assets, including the Murlach subsea development, which was tied back to the existing Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) central processing facility (CPF) last year in the UK North Sea.
In addition, the firm also delivered first oil in 2025 from the two-well Atlantis Drill Center 1 expansion project in the Gulf of America.