bp has reached a significant milestone with the start-up of the Manuel project in the US Gulf of Mexico, the fourth of five major projects expected to be delivered globally in 2021.

Manuel is located on Mississippi Canyon block 520, east of the bp-operated Na Kika platform in 2019 metres of water.

Manuel includes a new subsea production system for two new wells tied into the Na Kika platform. The wells are expected to boost gross platform production by an estimated 20,100 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boe/d).

Starlee Sykes, bp senior vice president Gulf of Mexico and Canada said Manuel is a high-value project which is critical to growing the business in the Gulf of Mexico. bp anticipates growth in its production in the US Gulf of Mexico to more than 400,000 boe/d by the mid-2020s.

“bp’s focused and resilient hydrocarbons business is a key pillar of our strategy. This start-up is another example of our team’s commitment to safe and reliable operations.”

The bp-operated wells, drilled to a depth of approximately 6,400 metres, are located southeast of the Na Kika platform, approximately 225 kilometres off the coast of New Orleans. bp and Shell each hold a 50 per cent working interest in the Manuel development.

bp’s interests in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ewan Drummond, bp senior vice president of projects, production and operations said the company’s investment in Manuel is part of its target to add 900,000 boe/d of production from new projects by the end of 2021.

“The safe production of resilient hydrocarbons in the basins we know best is core to advancing our strategy to transform into an integrated energy company.”

bp operates four production platforms in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico – Thunder Horse, Atlantis, Mad Dog and Na Kika – with a fifth platform, Argos, expected to come online in 2022.