Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.10. / Trend E.Ismayilov /
The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) will hold the monitoring to register the low-pressure associated gas emissions into the air in the Shallow Water "Gunashli" field (as a part of the construction of a new compression station in the "Gunashli-4") in early 2010, a source in SOCAR said.
The company develops the field independently.
The monitoring will be held under the UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). A certificate will be presented under the results, if its decline is confirmed.
"We construct and test a new compressor station at the same time. But the process of certification under the Clean Development Mechanism is slightly protracted and can take about 3-4 months. The monitoring group will be invited in early 2010 to check this process," a source said.
The installation of the compressor has been completed as a part of the construction of the new station. At present, the construction including the laying of cables, installation of necessary equipment, as well as connecting pipes, is under completion, a source said.
According to the schedule, the company plans to put the new compression station into operation by late 2009, the source said.
As a result of a new compressor station installed on the "Guneshli-4" platform, "low pressure gas emissions will be reduced by 90 percent, SOCAR Vice-President on Ecology, Mukhtar Babayev said earlier.
SOCAR intends to collect the associated gas of low pressure in the shallow part of the Guneshli field. After pressing out (increase of the pressure), the gas will be transferred to the Azerbaijani gas processing plant or to the national gas transmission system and supplied to customers.
Previously, this gas was emitted into the air, causing great harm to the environment due to lack of infrastructure. The cost of construction of necessary infrastructure and realization of this project is estimated at $150 million.
The volume of gas emissions from the Guneshli field varies between 150 and 250 million cubic meters per year.
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