Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.17 /Trend E.Ismayilov/
Amec-Tekfen-Azfen (ATA) will complete the assembling of steel structures and installation of equipment for the new platform for the Chirag oil project. This will lead to an increase of oil production on the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field, a source at the oil and gas market told Trend on Friday.
The source said work will begin gradually after the completion of tests and continue until 2013.
"All work on the construction of the topsides and drilling equipment go hand in hand. In particular, drilling equipment and drilling are assembled separately," the source said.
The source also added that the first phase of installing drilling equipment to the upper structure will start in March. Submitting all the topsides and drilling equipment to the point of installation into the seabed is scheduled for 2013.
ATA is already engaged in construction of the topsides of one of the technological platforms as part of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli development.
The Chirag oil project which requires an investment of $6 billion, involves the construction of the new West Chirag platform which will be installed at a depth of 170 metres between the Chirag and Gunashli production platforms.
An advanced drilling project is planned for the period until the first half of 2012. This will then be carried out from the Dada Gorgud installation. First production from the platform is scheduled for late 2013.
It is planned to produce 300 million barrels of oil until the end of the contract by ACG in 2024. The contract to develop the large Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli offshore field was signed in 1994.
Equity participation in the contract is distributed as follows: BP (operator of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli - 35.78 per cent, Chevron - 11,27 per cent, Inpex - 10,96 per cent, AzACG - 11,65 per cent, Statoil - 8 56 per cent, Exxon - 8 per cent, TPAO - 6.75 per cent, Itocu - 4,3 per cent, and Hess - 2,72 per cen