Details added (first version posted at 16:12)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 20
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
First deep gas from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of fields is planned to be received in 2019, an official with Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR told reporters in Baku.
The process of producing deep gas at the ACG block consists of two phases, according to the official.
“The first phase will be implemented under the new agreement on ACG. It is divided into two stages. Four wells will be drilled in total. However, the main part of the deep gas development will be beyond the scope of the new contract. At the end of the first phase, SOCAR and its partners will again return to discussing this issue in a different format. If a unified solution is reached, the work will continue; if not, SOCAR will autonomously decide how to work on this project further.”
The SOCAR official noted that drilling of four wells within the first phase is related to meeting domestic demand for gas in Azerbaijan in the coming years.
“It is planned to produce first gas from the first two wells [Stage 1] in 2019. After all four wells are drilled, we will assess further opportunities,” the official said, adding preparatory work has begun regarding the drilling of the first two wells.
“All wells will be drilled from the Deepwater Gunashli platform. Further, this gas will be given to SOCAR.”