BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 15. bp's Vice President for the Caspian region, Communications and External Affairs Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli revealed the details of the decision to conduct four-dimensional (4D) seismic exploration on the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of fields, unprecedented for the Caspian Sea, Trend reports.
"The wells in the ACG block, where extraction has been ongoing since 1997, have become outdated, and the oil production rate is gradually decreasing. The productivity of the new reservoir (formation) of Fasila in the ACG was lower than anticipated. All this situation has made us conduct a more detailed study of the reservoir geology through the implementation of 4D seismic surveys during 2024–2028—a first for the Caspian region," Aslanbayli told an Azerbaijani TV channel.
According to him, in 2023, the average daily production level in
the ACG was 363,000 barrels per day, which is close to the highest
limit of production projections for the ACG, where oil extraction
is carried out from the Fasila and Balakhani formations.
He clarified that the 4D seismic survey, which would cost $370
million, will encompass 740 square kilometers beneath the seismic
source and 507 square kilometers under the receivers, with five
monitoring phases spread across five years.
"We expect that the results from the 4D seismic study will allow us to understand in detail the reservoir structure of Balakhani and Fasila, enabling us to normalize production in the ACG," Aslanbayli noted.
Earlier, at the commencement of the seismic operations on January 20, 2024, bp's Vice President Subsurface, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye Region, Roshni Moosai said that "modern 4D technology will provide new and deeper information about the field.".
"This will help us find solutions to minimize future unforeseen situations in wells and maximize the field's oil recovery for decades ahead," emphasized Moosai.
To note, the ACG contract will conclude in December 2049. As of now, 586 million tons of oil have been extracted from the block of fields.