BP

BP plc (Bee-Pi pi-el-si is said, till May, 2001 the company carried the name of British Petroleum — the British oil and gas company, the second in value publicly bargaining oil and gas company in the world. As of 2009 the company took the 4th place in Fortune Global 500. The headquarters of the company is located in London.

History

The founder of British Petroleum company is William Knox d'Arsi (William Knox D’Arcy, on October 11, 1849 — on May 1, 1917). This successful Englishman in May, 1901 got approval of the Persian government on search and oil production. The chief engineer on search of oil D'Arcy employed George Reynolds. In the first years the company did not achieve results. Having faced absence of skilled staff, the relation from locals and also insufficient support of the Persian government, financial resources of the company reeled. In 1905 the Burmah Oil company invested in further search of oil in Persia.

Oil fields Mashid and Suleyman, in a southwest part of Persia in May, 1908 became the first successful field. In 1909 the Anglo-Persian oil company was created. The Burmah Oil company possessed 97% of stocks. The first chairman of the company, Lord Stratkona held other shares. D'Arcy held the director's post in the company, but significantly did not influence further development of Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Afterwards process of search was assigned to Charles Grinveya. In 1910 Grinvey held the director's post, and in 1914 became the chairman. The same year the company appeared on the verge of bankruptcy. The main difficulties faced with sale. The market of industrial oils was already divided between the American and European producers, and the market of fuel was still in embryo. Grinvey avoided getting of the Anglo-Persian company under influence of Royal Dutch Shell by signing of the mutually advantageous agreement with the British government.

Further expansion happened within a decade after the end of World War I. New methods of marketing, for example packaging of gasoline were entered into dvukhgalonny banks. The Anglo-Persian company implemented the products also in Iran and Iraq; the international chain of sea stations of bunkering created and in 1926 began to sell aviation fuel. Were let new, considerably smaller, than the plant in Abadan, oil refineries into Llandarcy in the Southern Wales in 1921, Scotland in 1924. Besides, the company owned mostly French oil refinery in Courchelettes.

Such actions significantly influenced business structure of the company. More than 80% of company assets fell on fields in Persia, and after 1917 a half of fixed capital of the company fell on the system of distribution and the tanker fleet.

Avalanche distribution of cars in America and Europe positively influenced activity of the company. By 1925 the number of gas stations with a logo of BP reached six thousand (in their 1921 there was only 69).

In 1935 the company was renamed into Anglo-Iranian.

In post-war years the company begins to be implemented into the petrochemical industry. The agreement with Distillers company in 1947 led to formation of the joint company which became after known as British Hydrocarbon Chemicals. The second petrochemical complex was constructed to Baghlan Baglan Bay in the Southern Wales in 1961.

Fragile balance in the Middle East was broken and in Iran oil industry was nationalized. Only three years of negotiations later the conflict was settled by creation of consortium of the oil companies. By 1954 the company was renamed into British Petroleum Company and had 40% of stocks of consortium in the portfolio.

By this time the company purchased the first plant on production of lubricants in Dunkirk (France). Several years later the plant began to produce the Europe's first all-weather BP Visco Static oil.

For the purpose of reduction of dependence on Near East the BP company was engaged in search and development of fields of the western hemisphere. The essential role for the company was played by opening of large-scale deposits of hydrocarbon in the North Sea and Alaska. In 1965 the gas field West Sole whose development began two years later was revealed. Search of oil extends to the north, and in 1970 British Petroleum detects the Forties field field the first large-scale deposit found in borders of Great Britain.

In the seventieth and eightieth years the company underwent a number of large failures in connection with drop in oil prices in 1973 and 1980. In 1979 company assets in Nigeria were nationalized, deliveries from Kuwait were also reduced. Events of the 1970th were reflected in all oil industry. Nevertheless, thanks to a big investment program outside the Middle East, the company showed what can survive, also, as she made it in Iran in 1951.

BP began development of a set of oil and gas fields in the North Sea with the beginning of the 1980th. Among them in the sector of Great Britain it is possible to call: Magnus in 1983, the gas Village field in 1988, Miller in 1992 and Bruce v1 993 and, in the Norwegian waters, Ula in 1986 and Gyda in 1990. On Alaska, meanwhile, construction of the 800-mile Trans-Alaska oil pipeline allowed to start the Prudo Bae field in 1977. In 1981, oil production on the Kuparuk field begins, and by the end of 1987 the very first continued commercial production of oil from coastal area in the Arctic when the Endicott field was purchased began.

In the mid-seventies the company began to invest means in non-core fields of activity actively: information technologies, extraction of minerals, coal business, food, the food industry, a forage for animals, personal care products.

In 1987 the company purchased BritOil and Standart Oil. In the late nineties Amoco, ARCO, Castrol and Aral companies were a part of BP.

In 1989 the logo of BP was changed, and the campaign sent for the approval of identity between British Petroleum and green color, prevailing on a new logo began. Further activity began to be performed under trends of health care, security and care of the environment.

Activity

The company conducts oil and gas production in many corners of the earth, both on the land, and on the shelf. The proved stocks of BP for 2009 made 1.4 billion t of liquid hydrocarbons, 1.26 trillion CBM of natural gas. [7]

BP owns oil processing and petrochemical capacities, network of gas station, produces oils under the name of Castrol. Also the company possesses shares in 10 gas pipelines and five regasification terminals in the North Sea. Besides, the company owns a 47% share in the gas pipeline on Alaska and also several receiving terminals for liquefied natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico.

The division of BPSolar company is the world leader in production and installation of photoelectric cells [the source is not specified 36 days].

BP — one of the main players of hydrogen power engineering. The company builds hydrogen refueling stations, delivers for them hydrogen. Participates in different hydrogen demonstration projects worldwide.