Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 20
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
Drilling of the first well (ABD-001) at Azerbaijan’s Absheron gas field in the Caspian Sea will begin in March, according to a presentation by French company Total, an operator of the field’s development.
The presentation was made in Baku Feb. 20 at public hearings on the Environmental Impact Report of the drilling project.
The drilling will be conducted using the Heydar Aliyev floating rig, according to the presentation.
The drilling will last 379 days and will cover a period from March 2018 to March 2019. Total E&P Azerbaijan will perform the work.
The drilling program includes drilling operations, cementing, well logging, as well as testing and cleaning of the well.
Earlier, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and Total signed a framework agreement on the main contractual and commercial principles regulating the program of the first phase development of the Absheron field.
The first phase of the field’s development envisages drilling of one well at a sea depth of 450 meters. The production will stand at 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year and these volumes will be used in Azerbaijan’s domestic market.
Absheron’s reserves are estimated at 326 billion cubic meters of gas and 108 million tons of condensate, according to the estimations of Total specialists.
The Absheron project will be operated by JOCAP (Joint Operating Company Absheron Petroleum) (50 percent SOCAR, 50 percent Total).