Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
The first gas as part of the second stage of development of Azerbaijan’s biggest Shah Deniz gas field in the Caspian Sea is planned to be obtained in 3Q18, a source in the Azerbaijani oil and gas market told Trend Oct. 18.
Six wells have already been prepared for this, said the source.
According to the source, as part of the first stage, 10 wells have been drilled from the Alpha platform so far and these wells are currently being operated.
It was planned to drill 12 wells from this platform, in other words, two more wells will be drilled, said the source, adding that the capability of Alpha platform allows producing 30 million cubic meters of gas and 45-50,000 barrels of condensate per day.
This is the maximum capacity of the platform, so two new platforms have been built for the Stage 2, added the source.
According to the source, 26 wells are expected to be drilled as part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2.
“All wells have a depth of more than 6,500 meters,” noted the source, adding that the drilling work will continue until 2026.
As part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2, gas production will increase from 9 to 25 billion cubic meters per year.
The produced gas will be exported to Turkey and the European markets through the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic (TAP) gas pipelines.
A contract for development of the Shah Deniz offshore field was signed on June 4, 1996. The field's reserve is estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas.
The project shareholders are BP (28.8 percent), AzSD (10 percent), SGC Upstream (6.7 percent), Petronas (15.5 percent), Lukoil (10 percent), NICO (10 percent) and TPOC (19 percent).