SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 

      Washington, D.C. 20549
 

 

      Form 6-K
 

       Report of Foreign Issuer
 

       Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
           the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
 


          for the period ended 14 October 2008
 
 

           BP p.l.c.
                 (Translation of registrant's name into English)
 
 

                 1 ST JAMES'S SQUARE, LONDON, SW1Y 4PD, ENGLAND
                    (Address of principal executive offices)
 
 

     Indicate  by check mark  whether the  registrant  files or will file annual
     reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
 
 
Form 20-F        |X|          Form 40-F
                         ---------------               ----------------
 
 

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
     contained in this Form is also thereby  furnishing  the  information to the
     Commission  pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
     1934.
 
 

Yes                            No        |X|
                         ---------------               ----------------
 
 


 
 

 
 
press release
  October 14, 2008
 
 

BP ANNOUNCES 
GULF OF MEXICO
 DISCOVERY 

BP America Inc. 
announced today an oil discovery at its Freedom Prospect in the deepwater 
Gulf of Mexico
. 
The well, located in Mississippi Canyon Block 948, approximately 70 miles southeast of the 
Louisiana
 
Coast
, is in about 6,100 feet (1,860 met
re
s) of water. The Freedom well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 29,280 feet (8,927
m
) and encountered greater than 550 net feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands in Middle and Lower Miocene reservoirs. Appraisal will be required to determine the size and commerciality of the discovery.

"The Freedom well is our third discovery in this part of the deepwater Gulf of Mexico following our Tubular Bells and Kodiak discoveries," said Andy Inglis, 
BP c
hief 
e
xecutive, Exploration and Production. "This discovery further strengthens BP's resource base and portfolio of potential development projects in the 
Gulf of Mexico
. We believe that Freedom straddles Mississippi Canyon Block 948 and Mississippi Canyon Block 992 and we look forward to working with our various partners towards efficient development of these discovered resources."

The well is operated by BP Exploration & Production Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BP America Inc., with a 25 per
 
cent working interest, and includes co-owners Noble Energy, Inc.
 (37.5 per cent)
, Samson Offshore Company 
(25 per cent)
 and Marathon Oil Company 
(12.5 per cent)
. The lease was acquired by Noble Energy and Samson Offshore at federal OCS Lease Sale 198 in March, 2006.
 
Mississippi Canyon Block 992 
is operated by BHP (32.
25 per cent
) with BP as co-owner (67.
75 per cent
).

Note to editors
:



Further information
:

Daren Beaudo
, BP Houston: +1-
281-366-8346
David Nicholas, BP London: +44 20 7496 4708

- ENDS -


 
 
 
SIGNATURES


 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
 
 

BP p.l.c.
(Registrant)
 


Dated: 14 October 2008

/s/ D. J. PEARL
..............................
D. J. PEARL
Deputy Company Secretary