BP
About
A London-based integrated energy company whose low carbon business, including offshore wind, sits in its gas and low carbon energy segment beside oil production and operations and customers and products. In August 2025 bp and JERA combined their offshore wind businesses in JERA Nex bp, a standalone joint venture they own 50:50, and bp contributed its development projects in the UK, Germany and the US. Headquartered in London, the joint venture develops, owns and operates offshore wind, with operating assets in Europe and Asia and, at its launch, projects across nine countries. bp keeps an option over its equity share of the joint venture's power. Its offshore wind exposure is therefore a half share in a joint venture, not a portfolio of its own projects.
Outlook
as of 2026-10No oil major reversed harder. Bernard Looney's 2020 pivot from "IOC to IEC" made BP the most transition-committed major: 50 GW of renewables by 2030, $5bn a year of low carbon spend, a 40% cut in oil production. BP went from nothing to about 10 GW of offshore wind pipeline in 18 months, across the US and the UK. Murray Auchincloss, CEO from September 2023, ran "the reset": the 50 GW target was scrapped, transition spend cut to $1.5-2bn a year (a 70% reduction), and oil production raised to 2.3-2.5 mmboe/d. "Too far, too fast." "We're an oil and gas company." Offshore wind moved off the balance sheet into the JERA Nex bp joint venture (50/50, about 13 GW of portfolio). Beacon Wind was halted and the US operations wound down in October 2025. Morgan was abandoned after failing in the UK CfD AR7 round in January 2026, leaving Mona as the sole survivor under JERA Nex bp. BP has not left offshore wind as completely as Shell, since it keeps exposure through the JV, but the Looney vision of BP as a direct developer and operator is dead. Auchincloss stepped down in December 2025 and Meg O'Neill became CEO on 1 April 2026, telling investors that every part of the company needs to earn its place.
What they've said
25 statements 2020-02 – 2026-08
- Q2 2026 results presentation
“Going forward, every part of the company needs to earn its place, generating cash, improving returns, and strengthening the whole”
Meg O'Neill, CEO source → - Annual Report and Form 20-F 2025
“Recognizing the exposure to transition volatility seen in recent years, JERA Nex bp plans to focus on highly disciplined, capital efficient growth, with bp retaining an option to our equity share of power offtake.”
BP (company report) source → - Annual Report and Form 20-F 2025
In its 2025 accounts BP recognised a $1,082 million impairment charge through equity-accounted earnings in the gas and low carbon energy segment, primarily relating to Archaea Energy and the offshore wind businesses, and reported that 2025 losses on disposal in the segment principally arose on forming the JERA Nex bp joint venture.
Hafrok summary source → - Annual Report and Form 20-F 2025
BP's 2025 scorecard shows its 2023 low carbon measures, renewables developed to FID (20GW target for 2025) and renewables pipeline, with no 2025 outcome, following the reset strategy and the retirement of the strategic pillars and their targets. BP notes the pipeline growth came from Lightsource bp and offshore wind bids that now sit within JERA Nex bp.
Hafrok summary source → - Mona acquisition / Morgan discontinuation
“Proceeding with the Mona offshore wind farm underscores JERA Nex bp's plans to support the UK's energy security and net zero goals. We look forward to continuing our partnership with The Crown Estate, stakeholders and others to bring this nationally significant project to fruition.”
Nathalie Oosterlinck, CEO of JERA Nex bp source → - JERA Nex bp US market withdrawal
“The US is a market with significant long-term potential for offshore wind, which we still believe can play a key role in the country's energy transition. For now, we will continue to maintain the Beacon lease and wait for a more favourable moment to resume project development.”
JERA Nex bp management source → - CERAWeek 2025
“Our optimism for a fast transition was misplaced, and we went too far, too fast. We just chased too much. We should have narrowed that. That's obviously what I've done now.”
Murray Auchincloss, CEO source → - Fortune interview (2025)
“If you think about what we really are, we're an oil and gas company. The parts of transition that have a hard time competing, you move to off balance sheet basically. It's a very capital-light model... Over time, it'll give us a dividend stream again, and flow of electrons.”
Murray Auchincloss, CEO source → - 2025 Capital Markets Update — Growing shareholder value: a reset bp
“Today we have fundamentally reset bp's strategy. We are reducing and reallocating capital expenditure to our highest-returning businesses to drive growth, and relentlessly pursuing performance improvements and cost efficiency. This is all in service of sustainably growing cash flow and returns.”
Murray Auchincloss, CEO source → - 2025 Capital Markets Update — Growing shareholder value: a reset bp
“We will grow upstream investment and production to allow us to produce high margin energy for years to come. We will focus our downstream on markets where we have leading integrated positions. And we will be very selective in our investment in the transition, including through innovative capital-light platforms. This is a reset bp, with an unwavering focus on growing long-term shareholder value.”
Murray Auchincloss, CEO source → - 2025 Capital Markets Update
“We found ourselves in a different place now, where nations are prioritizing affordability, assurance of flow, security of supply. The transition just is not being valued as much as it was five years ago.”
Murray Auchincloss, CEO source → - Beacon Wind transmission application withdrawal
BP withdrew the application for the transmission system that would connect its Beacon Wind offshore wind project to the grid in New York. The withdrawal came after bp had requested a year-long delay in the application process from the New York Public Service Commission, amid uncertainty in the US offshore wind market following the Trump administration's halt on federal offshore wind permitting.
Hafrok summary source → - BP-JERA offshore wind joint venture announcement
“We are very pleased to have reached agreement with JERA to form a top five wind developer globally. This will be a very strong vehicle to grow into an electrifying world, while maintaining a capital-light model for our shareholders. We very much look forward to combining our strengths in Europe and Asia-Pacific to create another innovative platform.”
Murray Auchincloss, CEO source → - Q4 2023 / FY 2023 Results
BP continues to invest with discipline and a returns-focused approach in our transition growth engines and in our oil, gas and refining businesses. Looking back, 2023 was a year of strong operational performance with real momentum in delivery right across the business.
Hafrok summary source → - Empire Wind / Beacon Wind swap transaction
Equinor and bp entered a swap transaction under which Equinor will take full ownership of the Empire Wind lease and projects, and bp will take full ownership of the Beacon Wind lease and projects. The restructuring reflected each partner's strategic priorities and portfolio management approach.
Hafrok summary source → - Post-Looney resignation — strategy continuity statement
Following Looney's resignation on 12 September 2023, Auchincloss stated that bp remains firmly committed to the outlook laid out earlier in the year. The strategy is not an embodiment of a single individual, it is the embodiment of a management team and a board.
Hafrok summary source → - CERAWeek 2023
“We see our role in life as helping to solve the energy trilemma — how do we provide the world with secure energy, affordable energy and cleaner energy? Reducing supply without also reducing demand inevitably leads to price spikes, price spikes lead to economic volatility.”
Bernard Looney, CEO source → - IEC Strategy Update — Growing investment, growing value, growing distributions
“The world wants and needs energy that is secure and affordable as well as lower carbon -- all three together, what's known as the energy trilemma. We are putting up to $8 billion more into today's energy system AND -- not or -- up to $8 billion more investment into our transition growth engines. The destination remains unchanged -- from IOC to IEC.”
Bernard Looney, CEO source → - IEC Strategy Update — Growing investment, growing value, growing distributions
BP reaffirmed its target of developing 50 GW of renewable power to FID by 2030, of which around 10 GW would be net installed capacity, largely operated. BP remained confident of achieving 8-10% levered returns for these investments. Transition growth engine investment was increased to a cumulative $55-65 billion over 2023-2030, accounting for approximately half of total capex.
Hafrok summary source → - ScotWind lease award — Morven project
BP and EnBW were awarded a ScotWind lease option for the Morven project, a 2.9 GW fixed-bottom offshore wind farm off the east coast of Scotland. Looney stated that bp now has a fantastic partner in EnBW and an even more competitive portfolio of nearly 6 GW of combined offshore wind to develop together, representing up to GBP 10 billion of investment in support of offshore wind and Scotland's energy transition.
Hafrok summary source → - Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1 NYSERDA awards
Equinor and bp were awarded offtake contracts for Empire Wind 2 (1,260 MW) and Beacon Wind 1 (1,230 MW) in New York's second offshore wind solicitation. Together with Empire Wind 1, the three projects will provide New York with 3.3 GW of offshore wind capacity — enough to power nearly two million homes.
Hafrok summary source → - UK offshore wind leasing round 4 — Irish Sea awards
“Success in this round marks bp's entry into one of the world's best offshore wind markets. This is both important progress towards bp's transformation into an integrated energy company as well as a significant next step in our long history in the UK. These projects -- in which we are teaming up with an experienced partner EnBW -- are absolutely in line with our determination to invest with discipline into only the very best opportunities. We are fully confident that these highly advantaged resources will deliver -- at a minimum -- the 8-10% returns we demand of our renewables investments.”
Bernard Looney, CEO source → - BP-Equinor US offshore wind partnership announcement
“This is an important early step in the delivery of our new strategy and our pivot to truly becoming an integrated energy company. Offshore wind is a huge area and the fastest growing source of renewable electricity in the world. It will play a vital role in allowing us to deliver our aim of rapidly scaling up our renewable energy capacity.”
Bernard Looney, CEO source → - BP strategy update -- from IOC to IEC
“bp is pivoting from being an international oil company focused on producing resources, to an integrated energy company focused on delivering solutions for customers. By 2030, bp aims to have developed around 50 GW of net renewable generating capacity -- a 20-fold increase from 2019. Within 10 years, bp aims to have increased its annual low carbon investment 10-fold to around $5 billion a year.”
Bernard Looney, CEO source → - BP net zero ambition announcement
“Our ambition is to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net zero. We are setting a new purpose for bp -- reimagining energy for people and our planet -- and taking on a fundamental reorganisation of the company, possibly the most wide-ranging in over a century.”
Bernard Looney, CEO source →
Portfolio
9 held + 2 exited · live stages first, exits lastCapacity is net of ownership stake: a 50% JV counts half. Gross exposure (full nameplate of every project held): 12.7 GW.
| Project | Country | Stage | MW | Stake | Net MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formosa 2 | Taiwan | Operational | 376 | 24.5% | 92 |
| Gunfleet Sands | United Kingdom | Operational | 173 | 12.5% | 22 |
| Mona | United Kingdom | Advanced Development | 1500 | 50% | 750 |
| N-11.1 | Germany | Early Development | 2000 | 50% | 1000 |
| Morven (North & South) | United Kingdom | Early Development | 2900 | 25% | 725 |
| Abalone Offshore Wind Farm (Deep Wind / KHNP) | South Korea | Proposed | 1500 | 55% | 825 |
| Admiral Lee Offshore Wind Farm (Deep Wind / KHNP / bp) | South Korea | Proposed | 1500 | 33.3% | 500 |
| Beacon Wind 1 | United States | On Hold | 1230 | 50% | 615 |
| Morgan | United Kingdom | On Hold | 1500 | 25% | 375 |
| Empire Wind 1 | United States | Divested 2024-01 | 810 | 50% sold | — |
| Empire Wind 2 | United States | Divested 2024-01 | 1260 | 50% sold | — |
Divested & farmed down
every recorded sale by this developer · newest first| Announced | Project / portfolio | Type | Stake sold | €m | Buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01 | Empire Wind 1 | acquisition | 50% | — | Equinor |
| 2024-01 | Empire Wind 2 | acquisition | 50% | — | Equinor |
Ownership history comes from the transaction database; the portfolio above is the current snapshot only. "Joint" stakes are the consortium total (per-seller split not disclosed) and are excluded from the stake-weighted GW figure.