British oil giant BP has started production from its Thunder Horse Northwest Expansion project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, four months ahead of schedule. Per BP, the project was delivered 15 percent under budget.

The project achieved first oil 16 months after being sanctioned. It adds a new subsea manifold and two wells tied into existing flowlines two miles to the north of the Thunder Horse platform.

Bernard Looney, BP's Upstream chief executive said: “Our business in the Gulf of Mexico demonstrates our Upstream strategy in action. Leveraging our world-class position and facilities, we are bringing new barrels online rapidly and efficiently, and uncovering more opportunities nearby. We are focused on growing value and these projects in the Gulf are competitive with any opportunities we have worldwide. This is what we mean by growing advantaged oil.”

The new project is expected to boost production at Thunder Horse by an estimated 30,000 boe/d at its peak, taking gross output at one of the largest oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico to over 200,000 boe/d. Originally planned for start-up in early 2019, the project is the latest sign of BP's continued momentum in the U.S. offshore region.

Thunder Horse Northwest Expansion comes after two other major field expansions at Thunder Horse in recent years. In 2017, an expansion of Thunder Horse's south field – a four well tie-back to the floating hub – boosted gross production at the field by over 50,000 boe/d. The year before, BP started up a major water injection project at Thunder Horse to further enhance oil production at the field.

Developed with partner ExxonMobil, the Thunder Horse platform sits in more than 6,000 feet of water and began production in June 2008. It has the capacity to handle 250,000 gross barrels of oil and 200 million gross cubic feet of natural gas per day.

In the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, BP operates four large production platforms – Thunder Horse, Atlantis, Mad Dog and Na Kika – and holds interests in four non-operated hubs – Mars, Olympus, Ursa and Great White.

Over the last five years, BP says its net average daily production in the Gulf of Mexico has increased from under 200,000 boe/d in 2013 to over 300,000 boe/d and is set to grow further with the addition of the Mad Dog Phase 2 platform in 2021 and other upcoming projects.