Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4
By Maksim Tsurkov – Trend:
Construction of two main blocks of the Shah Deniz Bravo (SDB) offshore platform, which is being built as part of the development of Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas and condensate field, has been completed by more than 50 percent, a source on the country’s oil and gas market told Trend Aug. 4.
The source said that assembling of topside modules and welding works are currently being carried out.
“There is certain progress on the production block, but the installation of equipment has not begun yet,” noted the source. “Residential block is being established and the helicopter deck will be ready soon.”
In general, the construction work on the topside modules is scheduled to be completed in late May 2017 in order to launch them in summer, and after that various tests will be carried out, added the source.
It is expected that the platform of two big blocks – production and residential – will be fully commissioned in 2018, said the source.
A contract worth $974 million between Shah Deniz field’s operator BP company and AMEC-Tekfen-AZfen Consortium was signed in 2014. The consortium is building topside modules of production and technological platform, including the residential block.
Bos Shelf LLC is the contractor of platform’s bearing units’ construction, which is being carried out at the Baku Deep Water Jacket Factory named after Heydar Aliyev.
As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
Shah Deniz Stage 2 will add a further 16 billion cubic meters per year (bcma) of gas production to the approximately 9 bcma produced by Shah Deniz Stage 1.
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