Sixteen years after the largest environmental disaster in oil history, BP has just received approval to open its first new field in the Gulf of Mexico, and the 10 billion barrels are 10 kilometers below sea level.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 13/04/2026 at 06:33

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The BP Kaskida field is located in block 292 of the Keathley Canyon, 250 miles from New Orleans, with a reservoir at 20,000 PSI pressure and a total depth of 32,500 feet — conditions for which there was no equipment to handle when the field was discovered in 2006

In 2006, the same drillship that would later be involved in the worst environmental disaster in oil history — the Deepwater Horizon — drilled the well that discovered the BP Kaskida field in the Gulf of Mexico. The well reached a total depth of 32,500 feet and encountered 800 feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands. However, the technology at the time simply could not cope with the reservoir pressure of 20,000 PSI.

Sixteen years later, with advancements in high-pressure equipment, seismic imaging, and modern drillships, BP finally received approval to develop the field. The BP Kaskida unlocks access to up to 10 billion barrels of discovered resources in the Paleogene region of the Gulf, including the neighboring Tiber field. Thus, it is BP’s first completely new hub in the region since Deepwater Horizon.

The numbers that make BP Kaskida one of the most extreme fields on the planet

Deepwater drillship drilling the BP Kaskida field at night in the Gulf of Mexico

Location: Block 292, Keathley Canyon, ~250 miles from New Orleans
Water depth: 6,000 feet (1,829 m)
Total well depth: 32,500 feet (9,900 m)
Reservoir pressure: 20,000 PSI
Resources: up to 10 billion barrels (with Tiber-Guadalupe)
Initial phase: 275 million recoverable BOE, 80,000 bpd, 6 subsea wells
Investment: less than $5 billion
Initial production: expected by 2029
Operator: BP with 100% ownership

Andy Krieger, senior vice president of BP for the Gulf of Mexico and Canada, stated: “By employing an industry-led design solution, BP Kaskida will be simpler to build and operate, improving safety and delivering greater value for BP.”

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The shadow of Deepwater Horizon over BP Kaskida

Gulf of Mexico where the Deepwater Horizon disaster occurred before BP Kaskida

The 2010 disaster leaked 4.9 million barrels of oil in 87 days, polluting 1,300 miles of coastline. Therefore, the approval of BP Kaskida generated immediate controversy. Earthjustice warns that a potential spill could release 4.5 million barrels and take up to 100 days to contain — in waters even deeper than Macondo.

BP Kaskida operates at 6,000 feet deep compared to 5,000 feet of Deepwater Horizon. Furthermore, the environmental organization argues that BP has not demonstrated adequate qualifications to operate under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. However, BP emphasizes that the design replicates existing platforms with technologies matured since 2022. The pressure for investment in safety technology has never been greater.

What BP Kaskida opens for the future of deepwater oil

Visualization of deepwater well of BP Kaskida descending 10 km

Kaskida is BP’s sixth hub in the Gulf, joining Argos, Atlantis, Mad Dog, Na Kika, and Thunder Horse. Additionally, the neighboring Tiber field has an investment decision expected in 2025. Together, the two fields access more than 3 billion barrels of in situ oil in the Paleogene formation.

Still, the project carries real risks. Pressures of 20,000 PSI at extreme depths require equipment that did not exist a decade ago. On the other hand, if BP can safely operate BP Kaskida, it will set a precedent for an entirely new frontier of deepwater exploration in the Gulf of Mexico — and worldwide.

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Sixteen years after the largest environmental disaster in oil history, BP has just received approval to open its first new field in the Gulf of Mexico, and the 10 billion barrels are 10 kilometers below sea level.

The BP Kaskida field is located in block 292 of the Keathley Canyon, 250 miles from New Orleans, with a reservoir at 20,000 PSI pressure and a total depth of 32,500 feet — conditions for which there was no equipment to handle when the field was discovered in 2006

The numbers that make BP Kaskida one of the most extreme fields on the planet

The shadow of Deepwater Horizon over BP Kaskida

What BP Kaskida opens for the future of deepwater oil

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Sixteen years after the largest environmental disaster in oil history, BP has just received approval to open its first new field in the Gulf of Mexico, and the 10 billion barrels are 10 kilometers below sea level.

The BP Kaskida field is located in block 292 of the Keathley Canyon, 250 miles from New Orleans, with a reservoir at 20,000 PSI pressure and a total depth of 32,500 feet — conditions for which there was no equipment to handle when the field was discovered in 2006

The numbers that make BP Kaskida one of the most extreme fields on the planet

The shadow of Deepwater Horizon over BP Kaskida

What BP Kaskida opens for the future of deepwater oil

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

After two years of internal discussions, Paraguay has finally regulated the law that opens the country to foreign technology and service companies with tax incentives that promise to create thousands of jobs and change the economy.

Map reveals how the Earth may look in 250 million years: continents will reunite in the Last Pangaea, 92% of the planet could become uninhabitable for mammals, and Spain appears among the rare possible exceptions.

About 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland, with houses forming a continuous row and narrow agricultural strips emerging behind them, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

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