BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3. bp, SOCAR and TPAO today signed several agreements enabling TPAO to join the production sharing agreement (PSA) for the Shafag-Asiman offshore block in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea, Trend reports via bp.
The deal aims to accelerate further evaluation of the block to help identify the most suitable option to progress the project.
To that end, additional evaluation activities will be carried out, including the drilling of a well into the Lower Surakhany reservoir. To allow for these activities, the exploration period under the PSA will be extended.
The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2025. Once finalized, TPAO will own a total 30% participating interest in the PSA—15% transferred from bp and 15% from SOCAR. Currently, bp and SOCAR each hold a 50% participating interest in the PSA.
bp will remain the operator of the PSA during the exploration period.
The official signing of the agreements took place today on the sidelines of Baku Energy Week.
Exploration activities in the block carried out to date include the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of a 3D seismic survey and the drilling of one exploration well (SAX01), completed in 2021. The SAX01 well was drilled to the base of the Fasila reservoir, reaching a depth of 7,189 metres, and confirmed the presence of gas condensate resources in the penetrated reservoirs. The well was then suspended to allow for further evaluation and planning of subsequent activities.