Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
BP, the operator of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field development project, says it has shut down the East Azeri platform in the Caspian Sea.
The platform’s operation has been suspended as part of BP’s ACG annual work program to implement a planned facility shut down (Turnaround – TAR), Tamam Bayatly, communications manager of the BP Azerbaijan Communication and External Affairs Department, told Trend Nov. 7.
“In accordance with the plan, production from the East Azeri platform will be suspended on Nov. 7, 2016, for about 12 days to enable efficient maintenance, inspection and project work to be undertaken,” said Bayatly. “This work will maintain the ability of the platform to produce in a safe, reliable and environmentally sound way.”
This is a routine, planned program and is part of normal operations, she noted adding that the planning for the program started in 2015 and these activities are included in the ACG 2016 annual work program and budget.
The shut-down is also included in the annual production forecast, added the communications manager.
Production from the other ACG platforms (Central Azeri, West Azeri, Deep Water Gunashli, Chirag and West Chirag), as well as export operations via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and the Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP) will continue as normal.
The Sangachal Terminal will continue normal operations. Loadings at Ceyhan and Supsa ports will also continue in accordance with the lifting schedule.
BP and its partners produced 16 million tons of oil (more than 119 million barrels) at the ACG block of oil and gas fields in the 1H2016 that was similar to the indicator of the same period of 2015.
A contract for developing the ACG field was signed in 1994. The shareholders of the project are BP (operator, 35.78 percent), Chevron (11.27 percent), Inpex (10.96 percent), AzACG (11.65 percent), Statoil (8.56 percent), Exxon (8 percent), TPAO (6.75 percent), Itocu (4.3 percent) and ONGC (2.72 percent).
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