BP plans to proceed with drilling operations in environmentally sensitive areas such as Canada's tar sands and further deep water exploration despite pressure to stop from green groups and some investors.

The moves were confirmed following demands from the Coop – one of its shareholders – to concentrate in future on lower risk areas following the calamities in the Gulf of Mexico.

"When the leak is plugged and we return to normal we will be carrying out an assessment of where the new BP goes from here. We will – like the rest of the industry – be working out how we can do things differently in terms of safety but not where we do them," said a BP spokesman in London.

"The position is the same now as it was at the strategy update earlier in the year. We are committed to three core areas of deep water oil, unconventional gas and enhanced recovery on super-sized fields. The world needs oil to meet growing demand and total risk aversion would just drive up prices."

BP pointed out that despite the Gulf accident the company held a lead position in deep water drilling which – in the Gulf, Brazil and off West Africa – was now considered by governments worldwide as the best way of exploiting much needed reserves.

No final investment decision has been taken on proceeding with a tar sands project called Sunrise in Alberta and this will not take place until the end of this year. But the company, which is converting refineries to handle this heavier crude, made clear the Gulf offered no direct lessons to halt these onshore operations.

The Coop said it had held talks with BP and also with Shell and Total where it also holds stakes, about how they will tighten up drilling operations to avoid any repeat of an accident which has halved the stock market value of BP since 20 April.

"We think it is a possibility that BP might retreat back into activities that it knows and understands well, moving away from relatively new and potentially high risk areas like tar sands," said Niall O'Shea, head of responsible investing at the Coop's asset management arm.

Friends of the Earth said it was astonished that BP was not planning to completely change all aspects of its business. "This [the BP statement] is sticking two fingers up to those who care about climate change and believe we should invest in low carbon technologies," said Mike Childs, head of climate change. "It is saying its 'business as usual' and the share price falls may continue also."

BP faced intense criticism over the tar sands from Greenpeace and socially responsible investors including the Coop with 620,000 votes cast at the oil group's annual general meeting to review these operations.

Critics argue this business is environmentally damaging because of the carbon and water intensity of the extraction methods but BP is equally vehement that the reserves can be developed without special impact on the surrounding area.

• This article was amended on 6 July 2010. The original referred to a tar sands project called Suncor. This has been corrected.