Company DescriptionBP p.l.c. provides carbon products and services. The company operates through Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, and Customers & Products segments. It engages in the production of natural gas, and integrated gas and power; trading of gas; operation of onshore and offshore wind power, as well as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage facilities; trading and marketing of renewable and non-renewable power; and production of crude oil. In addition, the company involved in convenience and retail fuel, EV charging, Castrol lubricant, aviation, B2B, and midstream businesses; refining and oil trading; and bioenergy business. Further, it engages in power and storage, digital transformation, carbon management, and bio and low carbon related products, as well as energy and environmental commodities and mobility businesses. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
How the Company Makes MoneyBP makes money primarily by producing, trading, refining, and selling hydrocarbons and related products, alongside earnings from its retail and low-carbon activities. Major revenue and earnings streams include: (1) Upstream (oil and gas production): BP sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids produced from its fields. Revenue depends on production volumes and realized commodity prices (linked to benchmarks for oil and gas), while profitability is influenced by lifting costs, royalties/taxes, and depreciation and exploration costs. (2) Gas & low carbon energy / gas marketing and trading: BP markets and trades natural gas and LNG, earning margins from optimizing supply sources, shipping/regasification access, and timing/price differentials across regions and contracts. Trading can contribute materially to results through realized margins and market optimization, with performance influenced by volatility and risk management. (3) Refining and product marketing: BP refines crude oil into petroleum products (e.g., gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) and sells them wholesale and through branded channels. Earnings are driven by refining margins (the spread between refined product prices and crude/feedstock costs), refinery utilization, and operational reliability. (4) Customer & products (downstream retail and convenience): BP sells transportation fuels through retail sites (including branded dealers) and earns margins per unit sold; it also earns non-fuel income from convenience retail and associated services. BP also sells lubricants and other specialty products, typically earning branded/product margins. (5) Low-carbon and power-related activities: BP generates revenue and earnings from activities such as renewable power generation, power trading/marketing, and other transition-related businesses where applicable; returns depend on project performance, contracted offtake, power prices, and development/execution. Across these streams, BP’s consolidated results are significantly affected by global commodity prices (oil, gas, refined products), refining and trading margins, volumes, currency movements, and portfolio actions such as asset sales/acquisitions and joint ventures where BP recognizes its share of earnings.