Average daily oil production from the Azeri oil field, the part of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli contract area will comprise 70,000 barrels in 2006, Trend reports referring to the press release spread by the Itochu Corporation with sub-unit Itochu Oil Exploration (Azerbaijan) Inc., holding 3,920,5 % share in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) project.
Thus, the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), operated by BP, with 9,460 tons of average daily oil production, plans to produce around 3,453m tons of Azeri Light oil in 2006.
AIOC announced first oil production from the West Azeri platform Azeri Project Phase 2 on 5 January. Located in approximately 118 metres of water 100km east of Baku, West Azeri (WA) production began from the first of three pre-drilled production wells on 30 December. Transiting the subsea pipeline to shore, WA oil production reached Sangachal on 4 January. Production will increase through 2006 as the other pre-drilled wells are put in exploitation, prior to further platform drilling commencing later this year. On plateau the WA facility will add 300 000 barrels per day in addition to the plateau rate of 340 000 barrels of oil per day from Central Azeri.
Associated gas produced from WA will flow via 5km in-field gas subsea pipelines to the Compression and Water Injection Platform (C&WP) installed in Central Azeri for re-injection into the reservoir for pressure maintenance or used as fuel. Surplus gas will be exported via an existing gas subsea pipeline into the Sangachal Terminal and onward via the new gas export pipeline into the Azerigas system for domestic use.