Page 15 - FSUOGM Week 04 2023

FSUOGM PIPELINES & TRANSPORT FSUOGM

BP starts new drilling projects

in Caspian Sea

AZERBAIJAN BP has started drilling the A22z appraisal well at was delivered to the location in December
the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields. "The 2022. The depth of the well is expected to be
BP is assessing ACG’s purpose of drilling this well is to obtain informa- about 7 kilometres," BP-Azerbaijan said in a
deep layers. tion about deep gas reservoirs (deep-gas) of the statement. Drilling the well will take about a
ACG block. The A22z well will be drilled from year.
the Chirag platform and through the lateral “However, it is possible that this period will
mouth of the existing gas injection well A22 will take longer if a test programme is carried out
enter deep gas reservoirs on the southern flank to evaluate the results. Deep horizons located
of the ACG structure," BP-Azerbaijan said in a below the productive strata are currently being
statement. exploited on the eastern wing of the field," the
According to the company, the depth of the information says.
well will be up to 4.5 kilometers. "If the drilling The contract for the development of the
is successful, the information obtained from the Azeri, Chirag, and deepwater Gunashli fields
well will provide a broader understanding of the was signed on September 20, 1994, and entered
structure of the area and the pressures in deep into force on December 12 of the same year. This
layers," the information says. agreement expires in 2024. However, on Septem-
According to BP's plans, drilling of the well ber 14, 2017, a new contract for the development
will take about three months. After that, an of the ACG block, calculated until 2050, was
extensive logging programme and the instal- signed in Baku.
lation of gauges to record pressure data are Under the new contract, the share of British
planned for the well. As reported, deep-gas BP (project operator) is 30.37%, SOCAR (25%),
reserves at ACG are currently projected at 300 Hungarian MOL (9.57%), American Exxon-
bcm. Mobil (6.79%), Indian ONGC Videsh (2.31%),
BP has also started drilling a new explora- Japanese Inpex Corp. (9.31%) and ITOCHU Oil
tion well SDX-8 at the Shah Deniz field in the (3.65%), Norwegian Equinor (7.27%), Turkish
Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. "Drill- TPAO (5.73%). ACG is currently the largest oil
ing of the well is carried out from the Heydar field in Azerbaijan, it provides 2/3 of the coun-
Aliyev semi-submersible drilling rig, which try's oil production. ™

Week 04 25•January•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P15