BP plans to add six new gaswells to the Azeri Caspian sea field in order for it continue production.
BP will add six new gas wells in Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea in order to maintain stable production for the future, a senior manager from the international energy giant said.
BP operates 21 gas-wells in Shah Deniz. This area is being developed by a BP led consortium, and is crucial to Azerbaijan’s commitment to increase gas exports to Europe, offering an alternative to dwindling Russian supply.
Azerbaijan will be expected to double their exports to Europe to at least 20 billion cubic meters a year under a deal signed in 2022.
Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, BP's Vice President for the Caspian Region, said in an interview that the field's production increased last year to approximately 28 billion cubic meters in 2024. This was up from 26 bcm around 2023. The field has a total capacity of 79 million cubic meters per day.
He said: "We intend to put six more wells into production in this field over the next few years. This will maintain a plateau in place for several years." Gas flows from Azerbaijan were stopped for several days last month due to a problem with the subsea export pipeline that connects the Shah Deniz Alpha, one of the two platforms at Shah Deniz to the Sangachal Terminal.
Aslanbayli stated that the company does not intend to shut down any platforms this year for planned maintenance. BP, who also produces oil in Azerbaijan started production last year at a new Azeri Central East offshore platform in Caspian Sea. The new development aims to help counter a decline in output at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) complex of offshore oilfields, also operated by BP, which has passed its peak of 50 million metric tons, or 1 million barrels per day (bpd), in 2010. Azerbaijan is expected to produce 29 million tons of oil per year in both 2024 and 2025. This is equivalent to 580,000 barrels per day.
Aslanbayli said ? ?? In 2024, the company produced 4,000,000 barrels (10000 bpd averagely) and will continue to increase production as more wells get drilled in 2025.
He said, "This is useful as we work to reduce the natural decline of ACG and maximize recovery." (Reporting and writing by Nailia Bakirova, Olesya Astakhova, Tomasz Janovowski).
(source: Reuters)
