British oil and gas company BP has announced that it has begun operations at the new, expanded Atlantis Drill Center 1 in the heart of the US energy market, the Gulf of Mexico. BP has become one of, if not the largest, energy companies anywhere in the world through its more than 100 years of expertise in the upstream energy market. The company’s remarkable know-how and expertise in the energy market have been a major driver behind the operations kicking off in the Gulf of Mexico.
The US gas and oil market has grown at an amazing pace in recent months
The US is hunting for new oil and gas opportunities. The vast majority of the country’s refineries process heavy crude, which can only be found in certain regions of the world, such as Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. To get the necessary crude for oil production, the US government has been on an approving spree in recent months, especially since Donald Trump took office.
BP is not an American company; in fact, it could be seen as a multinational corporation due to its substantial international portfolio. However, the US oil and gas market has been at the center of the new surge in gas and oil production that has enveloped the global market. The Atlantis project is BP’s seventh of the year and the fifth of seven to be completed two months ahead of schedule, exemplifying the company’s astonishing accelerated efficiency.
The Atlantis project is located roughly 150 miles south of the Big Easy, or New Orleans, if you prefer, in water depths of approximately 7,074ft. The project is operated by BP with a 56% interest alongside the project’s other partner, Woodside, which holds the remainding 44%. BP and Woodside expect the project to have a gross production capacity of 200,000 barrels of oil per day.
“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 one million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030.” – BP production and operations executive vice-president Gordon Birrell
BP is planning to expand its presence in the Gulf of Mexico region
Alongside a litany of other substantially large energy companies, BP is planning to expand its operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantis Drill Center 1 expansion is the second in a long line of new developments that the company is planning in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of 2030. BP expects the projects in the Gulf to help the company reach its goal of adding 400,000boepd from the US market by the end of 2030.
The expansion project reflects the global expectation of a surge in offshore upstream production over the coming years. BP also plans to expand the Atlantis Major Facility in 2027.
“This expansion at Atlantis is further testament to the benefits of maximising 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..” – BP Gulf of America and Canada senior vice-president Andy Krieger
A new year brings with it a wave of new possibilities in the upstream market
With 2026 approaching at warp speed, BP and a myriad of other large energy companies are set to expand upstream operations, particularly in the US market. The US is the number one gas producer by capacity in the world and is aiming to continue its expansion to meet the President’s mandate of boosting oil and gas production. Despite the overwhelming calls to integrate more renewable energy projects, the US energy sector is sticking with what it knows and is expanding the gas and oil market.
