Four apps helping to grow energy production
bp has a long history of inventing and using technologies to improve the safety and efficiency of how oil and gas is discovered, produced, processed and transported. Today, that includes the use and development of cutting-edge digital tools.
These are, for example, making it faster to design drill paths through complex rock and salt to access oil and gas. New technologies are helping to put 100 years of bp data instantly at the fingertips of bp’s wells engineers so they can make faster decisions and continue to prioritize safety. And they are optimizing production so we can grow oil and gas output.
These technologies are making a significant impact. Between 2022 and 2024, AI and advanced analytics helped to increase bp-operated production by around 4%, and they protected around 10% more from shutdowns through monitoring and analysis.
Technologies like these are also key to delivering our next wave of growth in our oil and gas business as part of our reset strategy. Our plans include increasing investment in oil and gas production by around 20%, from around $8.5 billion in 2024 to around $10 billion a year, through 2027.
We’re planning to start up 10 new major projects by the end of 2027, and a further eight to 10 by the end of 2030. And, we are strengthening our portfolio, including accessing discovered resources in our core regions and replenishing our exploration pipeline.
Take a look at some of the top digital apps helping us to make the most of our oil and gas resources.
Automation and high-performance computing are helping our geoscientists and engineers to plan new wells. With AWTO, well paths, also known as trajectories, can be safely designed in a fraction of the time it previously took.
For example, in Azerbaijan, teams recently tested the tool and it helped to deliver a complex drill path in days. Without the tool, it would have taken up to two months. It’s also now being applied in the Gulf of America and Egypt, and we’re aiming to roll it out across all of bp’s oil and gas operations globally.
Watch to find out more about AWTO
How does it work?
The tool suggests drill paths to a target reservoir, while taking into account subsurface and drilling constraints.
AWTO helps bp teams to rapidly analyze thousands of potential trajectories to find the most effective option.
Wells Assistant is a generative AI platform unique to bp.
Built by bp’s digital technology team, Wells Assistant is used by our wells teams to more quickly and easily access thousands of data points.
It is similar to using Copilot or ChatGPT, but specifically for wells. “It has saved me so much time, helping me onboard to bp and the industry faster,” says one early-career subsea wells engineer.
How does it work?
With around 15,000 unique data points on file, the Wells Assistant helps to make our teams more efficient and gives them access to 100 years’ worth of institutional knowledge.
It has answered around 14,000 queries so far for its 700 users – saving an estimated 5,000 hours of work for bp teams.
Optimization Genie is an AI tool developed by bp that helps to uncover hidden opportunities to optimize oil and gas production.
In the Gulf of America, Optimization Genie helped engineers working at our Atlantis hub to identify opportunities to change the way specific parts of the production system work. It led to production increases of approximately 2,000 barrels per day.
Teams in Azerbaijan and the North Sea have also used this tool, and bp is planning to roll out Optimization Genie across all its assets.
How does it work?
The tool uses AI to examine bp’s digital twin models and identify the best, most efficient opportunities to enhance production in highly complex production systems.
It then determines how production operations can be adjusted to safely get more oil and gas out of the ground. Engineers then go through the results and determine the safest and most feasible changes to make.
AAD is a machine learning tool that helps to detect and predict issues with production equipment.
It warns teams early about potential problems, like equipment failures, so they can reduce challenges to production, and support plant reliability.
Watch to find out more about AAD
How does it work?
AAD allows bp to proactively address issues before they escalate. It enhances traditional engineering modelling by addressing problems that are difficult to model with other tools.
It can be quickly set up anywhere and on any bp-operated asset.
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