Using electric power to lower emissions in Texas

Electrifying our oil and gas operations is a decisive step towards reducing their emissions. At our bpx energy site in the Permian Basin in Texas, it’s already well under way

🕒 1.5 min read | 📰 News| 💡 Why it matters

Electrifying wells at bpx

You’ve heard us say we can’t flip a switch and decarbonize the world’s energy. But what we can do is make steps like this. At our bpx energy operations in Texas, we are producing natural gas with clean electricity. Tying the wells directly into the grid means no gas-driven generators, no tanks, and no flares – just power lines.

Electricity is the cleanest, most efficient, reliable and cost-effective way to distribute power across an oilfield. But when bp purchased the Permian Basin assets in 2018, only 4% of the operated wells were electrified.

By the end of 2021, the team had moved that number up to 75%.
Today, we’re at 80%.
And we’re well on our way to our goal of 95% electrification by the end of 2023.

bp CEO Bernard Looney takes a tour of the new electrified well site in Texas

💡 Why it matters

Because investing in electrical infrastructure lets us cut emissions in our operations. By removing combustion engines in compressors and generators at our well sites, the team achieved emissions reductions of approximately 140,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent by the end of 2021. That’s roughly equal to removing 30,000 cars from the road.

And the best part? The electricity we use comes from low carbon sources procured through our gas and power trading team. This is what it looks like to be an integrated energy company.

Model for the future

Plans are critical, but it’s putting them into action that counts. So, we’re using our Grand Slam central delivery facility at the Texas site as a model of the future for our net zero ambition.

By 2025, we plan to invest $1.3 billion to build three new centralized delivery systems to further lower emissions from our Permian operations. And by 2030, we aim for all our onshore assets in the region to be net zero.