User:Arturo at BP/Overview of operations

Overview
BP has established operations in around 80 countries worldwide. BP's global headquarters is located in London, United Kingdom, and the company is led by group chief executive Bob Dudley. As of January 2012, the company had a total of 83,400 employees, who are primarily employed in the United States and Europe. Around 20 percent of the company's workforce is based in the UK and 28 percent is based in the US.

BP has three areas of operation: Upstream, Downstream, and BP Alternative Energy. The company's upstream activities include exploring for new oil and natural gas resources, developing access to such resources, and producing, transporting, storing and processing oil and natural gas. The upstream is responsible for the operation of BP's wells, pipelines, offshore platforms and processing facilities. The activities in this area of operations take place in 30 countries worldwide, including Angola, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, India, Iraq, Norway, Russia, Trinidad & Tobago, the UK, and the US.

BP's downstream activities include refining, marketing, manufacturing, transportation, trading and supply of crude oil, petrochemicals products and petroleum. This area of operations is responsible for BP's fuels, lubricants and petrochemical businesses and has major operations located in Europe, North America and Asia. BP owns or holds a share in 16 refineries worldwide, of which seven are located in Europe and five are in the US. The company also has 21,800 retail sites and markets its products in approximately 70 countries worldwide.

BP's alternative energy business was launched in 2005 and invests in wind power and biofuel projects. In 2005 the company committed to spending $8 billion on renewable energy over ten years and, had invested approximately $7 billion in this area.

In the United States, BP is the largest resource holder and also the largest producer of oil and gas in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. In Alaska, BP operates 13 oil fields in the North Slope region and is the largest owner of the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. In the lower 48 states, the company is the country's sixth largest natural gas producer with a total of 10,000 wells. Its alternative energy operations in the US include 13 wind farms and a $400 million investment in advanced cellulosic biofuels in Florida.

In the UK, BP's key activities are based in the North Sea where, according to the company's chief executive, it has invested over £35 billion since the 1960s. The group operates approximately 40 North Sea oil and gas fields and four onshore terminals. Downstream, it has over 1100 service stations and three of the company's global research and technology groups.

Beyond the US and UK, BP's key operations include offshore oil wells and onshore processing facilities in Brazil, Azerbaijan, Trinidad & Tobago, and China. The company has also made a $7.2 billion investment in offshore oil and gas exploration in India. Its major onshore oil and gas exploration and production activities are based in Iraq, where it operates 20 oil rigs in the world's fourth largest oilfield, and Russia. In Indonesia, BP operates major liquid natural gas activities and began investment into coalbed methane in 2011. The company operates refineries in countries including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Its petrochemicals, lubricants, fuels and related services are marketed in Europe, Asia and Australasia. BP operates biofuel production facilities in Brazil, including three cane sugar mills for ethanol production.