BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 25. Daily production at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field initially stood at around 40,000 barrels, and over the past thirty years, production gradually declined, and today, at best, daily output is approximately 3,000-4,000 barrels, said bp representative Afgan Huseynov, Trend reports.
Speaking at the SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) 2025 Caspian Technical Conference in Azerbaijan's Baku, Huseynov noted that in the past 5-7 years, the field experienced a sharp decline.
“Now is the critical moment to take decisive action against this decline. Representing bp’s ACG partnership, our primary mission is to halt any further drop in production.
Around two years ago, we launched a major five-year investment program aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the reservoirs. Our focus is not only on mapping their static characteristics but also on capturing the dynamic behavior of secondary reservoirs. The field still holds immense potential, with roughly half of the recoverable volumes yet to be tapped,” he said.
The bp official emphasized that the second key point is ensuring the reservoir’s energy balance.
“We serve as both operator and investor at ACG, which makes striking the right balance between injection and production wells a complex challenge. Over the past three years, we have drilled more than 20 new injection wells, a major achievement for offshore development with limited platform capacity. These efforts play a crucial role in sustaining and supporting production,” he added.
Huseynov also highlighted the third important factor: technology application.
“Over the past three years, we have drilled horizontal and multilateral wells, marking a major technological leap for ACG and the Caspian region as a whole, where reservoir pressure and fracture patterns are highly complex. These new wells allow us to access and manage roughly 30 percent more of the reservoir each year than the volume currently being produced.
Thanks to these efforts, the managed decline at ACG has been reduced to just 3 percent. We have effectively halted the sharp production drop that occurred over the past 5-7 years, a remarkable achievement given the field’s complexity,” the official concluded.
The Caspian Technical Conference 2025, organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, is taking place in Baku with support from SOCAR. Themed "Learning from the past, innovating today, inspiring tomorrow," the two-day event focuses on digitalization, artificial intelligence, field development efficiency, security, and sustainable supply in the energy sector.
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