Australian operator BHP could be in line to take a final investment decision on the Trion deepwater development off Mexico as soon as next year, with an appraisal well later this year likely to provide crucial additional information before any confirmation.

BHP president of petroleum operations Geraldine Slattery told Upstream in an interview on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston last week that the company could approach the market for development solutions following the appraisal well.