Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 23 / Trend, E. Ismayilov /
Works on steel structures for the construction of topsides and drilling equipment on the platform of the Chirag Oil Project (which increases in oil production on the block of Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields) are 99% complete, a source in the oil and gas market told Trend.
According to the source, testing works and the preparation of structures necessary for the descent of the topsides into the sea are currently underway.
"Work is expected to be completed in May. The topsides will enter the sea in May or June," the source said.
Construction of the topsides and the production of drilling equipment for the platform are conducted by the Amec-Tekfen-Azfen (ATA) consortium that already performs a similar operation on one of the technology platforms in the ACG.
The Chirag Oil Project envisages the construction of the new West Chirag platform which will be installed at a depth of 170 meters between the Chirag and Gunashli production platforms.
Investments in the project will hit $6 billion.
Advanced drilling should start in the first half of next year. Drilling will be carried out from the Dada Gorgud installation. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2013.
There are plans to produce 300 million barrels of oil by the end of ACG's contract in 2024.
The contract to fully develop the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field was signed in 1994.
Participants of the project to develop Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli are: BP (operator - 35.83 percent), Chevron (11.27 percent), Inpex (10.96 percent), AzACG (11.6 percent), Statoil (8.56 percent), Exxon (8 percent), TPAO (6.75 percent), Itocu (4.3 percent) and Hess (2.72 percent). Hess has sold its share to Indian ONGC, the transaction will be completed in the first quarter of 2013.