bp announces largest discovery in 25 years
Published by Elizabeth Corner,
Senior Editor
Oilfield Technology,
bp drilled exploration well 1-BP-13-SPS at the Bumerangue block, located in the Santos Basin, 404 km (218 nautical miles) from Rio de Janeiro, in a water depth of 2372 m. The well was drilled to a total depth of 5855 m.
The well intersected the reservoir about 500 m below the crest of the structure and penetrated an estimated 500 m gross hydrocarbon column in high-quality pre-salt carbonate reservoir with an areal extent of greater than 300 s km2.
Results from the rig-site analysis indicate elevated levels of carbon dioxide. bp will now begin laboratory analysis to further characterise the reservoir and fluids discovered, which will provide additional insight into the potential of the Bumerangue block. Further appraisal activities are planned to be undertaken, subject to regulatory approval.
bp holds 100% participation in the block with Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. as the Production Sharing Contract manager. bp secured the block in December 2022 during the 1st Cycle of the Open Acreage of Production Sharing of ANP, on very good commercial terms.
Gordon Birrell, bp’s Executive Vice President for Production & Operations said: “We are excited to announce this significant discovery at Bumerangue, bp’s largest in 25 years. This is another success in what has been an exceptional year so far for our exploration team, underscoring our commitment to growing our upstream. Brazil is an important country for bp, and our ambition is to explore the potential of establishing a material and advantaged production hub in the country."
Bumerangue is bp’s tenth discovery in 2025 to date. bp has already announced oil and gas exploration discoveries at: Beryl and Frangipani in Trinidad, Fayoum 5 and El King in Egypt, Far South in the Gulf of America, Hasheem in Libya and Alto de Cabo Frio Central in Brazil, plus discoveries in Namibia and Angola through Azule Energy, its 50-50 joint venture with Eni.
bp plans to grow its global upstream production to 2.3 - 2.5 million boe/d of oil in 2030, with the capacity to increase production out to 2035.
Read the latest issue of Oilfield Technology magazine for upstream news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.
Oilfield Technology’s July/August issue
The July/August 2025 issue of Oilfield Technology includes articles on well integrity, decommissioning, well control, CCS, contaminant removal, seismic data, and a keynote article on how the Asia-Pacific region is balancing unmatched growth and complexity with the energy transition.
Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/07082025/bp-announces-largest-discovery-in-25-years/
You might also like
Well-Safe Solutions secures multi-year contract with EnQuest
The firm scope, expected to generate revenue in excess of US$45 million, will be executed using the Well-Safe Defender and consists of a minimum of 100 days of activity in 2026 and a minimum of 130 days in 2027.