bp has launched production at the Atlantis Drill Centre 1 expansion project in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), two months ahead of schedule.
The project is expected to add around 15,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) to the Atlantis platform at gross peak annualised average production.
This marks bp’s seventh major project startup in 2025 and the fifth of seven to begin earlier than planned.
The Atlantis platform, located around 241km south of New Orleans in water depths of 2,157m, is operated by bp with a 56 per cent working interest, alongside Woodside Energy holding the remaining 44 per cent.
Discovered in 1998, the field spans five blocks in the Green Canyon area (699, 700, 742, 743, and 744) and boasts a gross production capacity of up to 200,000 barrels of oil per day.
The expansion adds two wells to the existing drill centre — a subsea hub linking multiple wells — via a tieback system that connects new wells to offshore facilities through pipelines, extending the field’s footprint.
BP credited the early delivery to leveraging existing subsea inventory, enhanced drilling and well completion techniques, and optimised offshore execution planning.
Originally the world’s deepest-moored floating dual oil and gas platform when installed in 2007 after delays from 2005 hurricanes, Atlantis features a semisubmersible design with 63MW power generation and ties into major pipelines like Caesar and Cleopatra for transport to U.S. markets.
BP production and operations executive vice-president Gordon Birrell said: “Atlantis Drill Centre 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.
“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.”
This is bp’s second GoM project in a series planned through the decade, aiming to lift U.S. offshore output beyond 400,000 boepd by 2030, with the Atlantis Major Facility Expansion targeted for 2027.
BP Gulf of America and Canada senior vice-president Andy Krieger said: “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.”
Complementing Atlantis, bp launched the Argos Southwest Extension in August 2025 — a three-well subsea tieback adding 20,000 boepd to the Argos platform.
Other 2025 startups occurred in Trinidad and Tobago (two projects), the UK North Sea, Egypt, Mauritania, and Senegal, advancing bp’s goal of 10 global major startups by 2027.
Last month, Seatrium secured a contract from BP Exploration and Production for engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the Tiber floating production unit, a $5 billion project targeting first output in 2030 from Tiber and Guadalupe fields in Keathley Canyon, 300 miles southwest of New Orleans.
