Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.13
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
Azerbaijan plans to start gas output as part of the second stage of development of Shah Deniz gas and condensate field (Shah Deniz 2) this autumn, perhaps September, Natural Gas World (NGW) learned from Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR.
Shah Deniz 2 output will begin with a small amount initially, said a source in SOCAR.
The operator of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) has announced that the gas injection tests into the Turkish pipe would be carried out in January, but an official told NGW that the gas source would be Shah Deniz 1, not Shah Deniz 2.
Moreover, a BP source told NGW that in 2019 Shah Deniz 2 is expected to produce 2 billion cubic meters which would all go to Turkey.
“Azerbaijan’s total gas export to Turkey (Shah Deniz 1 and Shah Deniz 2) is expected to reach 8.5 billion cubic meters in 2019, compared with 6.5 billion cubic meters in 2017 and to reach its contractual 12.5 billion cubic meters in 2021,” said a BP source.
As part of the Shah Deniz 2 project, 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.
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