One of the most eagerly awaited offshore projects in the United States took a giant leap forward with ExxonMobil’s decision to sanction funding for the 1.5 billion bbl Thunder Horse project. Operator BP already approved the project, but Thunder Horse is part of a bigger picture, too, as the tentacles of the infrastructure system start to spread out. ExxonMobil’s decision to back Thunder Horse marks another milestone for the project, which is set to test offshore expertise at the highest level. Some of the deepest wells in the world are to be drilled on Thunder Horse. It is the biggest project in the Gulf of Mexico at the moment; combined with other BP discoveries – Atlantis, Holstein and Mad Dog – it forms part of a 2.5 billion boe prize, setting BP up to become the premier player in the US deepwater sector. But Thunder Horse is only one item from BP’s mouth-watering menu in the US Gulf over the next 5 to 10 years, as a series of deep projects are due to come online.
Thunder Horse Oil, Gulf of Mexico, BP, America(North),