Located nearly 306km south of New Orleans, Louisiana, the 27-stories tall platform, which weighs over 60,000 tons, operates in 4,500ft of water and is designed to produce up to 140,000 barrels of oil per day from the deepwater Mad Dog field
The Argos platform is considered as the centrepiece of the Mad Dog Phase 2 project. (Credit: BP p.l.c.)
BP has commenced production of oil at the Argos floating production platform at the $9bn Mad Dog 2 project in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico.
Argos has been designed to produce up to 140,000 barrels of oil per day. It is the oil and gas major’s fifth platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
Besides, it is the first new production facility operated by BP in the US Gulf of Mexico since the Thunder Horse platform entered into production in 2008.
According to BP, the semi-submersible unit will eventually boost the company’s gross operated production capacity in the region by an estimated 20%.
BP said that it anticipates ramping up production from the Argos platform safely and systematically through this year.
The Argos floating production platform is equipped with BP’s proprietary LoSal Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Dynamic Digital Twin technologies.
Its waterflood injection capacity is over 140,000 barrels of low-salinity water per day, which is expected to help improve oil recovery from the Mad Dog field.
BP chief executive Bernard Looney said: “The start-up of Argos is a fantastic achievement that helps deliver our integrated energy strategy – investing in today’s energy system and, at the same time, investing in the energy transition.
“As bp’s most digital facility worldwide, applying our latest technologies, Argos will strengthen our key position in the Gulf of Mexico for years to come.”
Argos is considered by BP as the core of the Mad Dog Phase 2 project, which extends the life of the Mad Dog oil field. Mad Dog was discovered in 1998 and has been in production since 2005 via the Mad Dog production spar.
The 27-floor tall platform, which weighs over 60,000 tons, operates in 4,500ft of water. It is located nearly 306km south of New Orleans, Louisiana.
BP, which has a stake of 60.5% in Mad Dog, is partnered with Woodside Energy (23.9%) and Chevron U.S.A.’s affiliate Union Oil Company of California (15.6%).