Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater expansion, part 2: Existing assets

Producers in the region see significant gains to be made by boosting output using the infrastructure already in place

Given the costs and challenges of deepwater exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), it is unsurprising that operators are focused not just on new fields but also on maximising output from existing platforms. “The region’s three largest players—Shell, BP and Chevron—each have key platforms (hubs) where they are looking to maximise returns,” said Matt Snyder, vice-president and head of North America research at consultancy Welligence. “Through various technologies—water injection projects, ocean bottom node seismic acquisition—these companies have been able to not only increase production at these older fields, but in some cases considerably increase the estimated recoverable r