BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 9
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The joint venture of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and the US-based KBR company plans to complete the detailed design phase for Umid-2 project, Ibrahim Ahmadov, deputy head of the public relations and events department at SOCAR told Trend.
As for Karabagh field, the company expects to implement the concept design Pre-FEED and FEED phases for the topsides of the platform to be installed at the field, he said.
When coming to Absheron Phase 1 project, Ahmadov noted that pre-FEED and FEED phases are expected to be projected this year.
“The company can also take part in some tenders to be announced this year,” he concluded.
In March 2020, Azerbaijan State Oil Company SOCAR and Norwegian Equinor have confirmed the fact of discovery of the Karabagh oil field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, 120 kilometers east of Baku.
The drilling of the first appraisal well at Karabagh oil field was started on December 23, 2019. The well was drilled in water depth of 180 meters by the Dada Gorgud semi-submersible drilling rig operated by SOCAR’s Caspian Drilling Company (CDC). The reservoir is at a depth of approximately 3.4 kilometers. Estimated size of the discovered volumes of oil and gas are satisfactory for pursuing commercial development of the Karabagh field. Its oil reserves estimated more than 60 million tons. It will produce 1.5 million tons of oil per year, but it is too early to predict the volume of exports from this field.
Absheron EPS (Early Production Scheme) project activities are progressing.The pipe laying barge PLBH sailed away on 7th January and started to lay the 12in pipeline in the vicinity of Oil Rocks on 15th January.At the same time, the vessel Gurban Abasov has finished to install the 4 main jackets of the platform beside Oil Rocks and the piles cutting is ongoing.
The plan for Absheron gas field in Azerbaijan in 2021 is to complete the EPS Platform topside modules and the connecting bridges. It is also planned to progress with the Tie-in works to the AZNEFT PU Oil Rocks Facilities.
The full-scale development of Absheron field can start soon after the first stage of gas production. The gas to be produced in the first stage is planned for the domestic market, while the additional volumes to be extracted in the subsequent stages may be exported. Absheron gas and condensate field as 350 billion cubic meters of reserves.
Umid-Babek structure continues ramping up production. The structure is developed by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR. The reserves of Babek and Umid fields are estimated at 400 billion cubic meters and at least 200 million cubic meters, respectively.
It is planned to build and install a platform at Umid field (Umid 2) and conduct exploratory drilling in the nearest Babek structure. Dashgil 2 terminal with capacity of 24 million cubic meters per day is under construction for initial gas and condensate processing. The product will be transported via the underwater pipeline of the terminal. Construction of the terminal has been going on since September 2019.
Umid field has already produced around 4 billion cubic meters of gas.
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