BP Expects to Resume Gulf of Mexico Oil Drilling in Second Half

BP Plc expects to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in the second half, more than a year after the Macondo well blowout that caused the worst U.S. spill, Chief Financial Officer Byron Grote said.

BP has applied for permits with the U.S. authorities, Grote told analysts today on a conference call. Production from the Gulf of Mexico in the first quarter was down by about 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day from a year earlier, a loss that was partly offset by higher oil prices, he said.