Today.Az » Business » ?IOC announced start-up of oil production from West Azeri platform
06 January 2006 [12:07] - Today.Az
The Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), operated by BP, today announced the start-up of oil production from the West Azeri platform – Azeri Project Phase 2, as part of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field development, in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.

Located in approximately 118 metres of water 100km east of Baku, West Azeri (WA) production began from the first of three pre-drilled production wells on Friday 30th December. Transiting the subsea pipeline to shore, WA oil production reached Sangachal on Wednesday, the January 4th. Production will increase through 2006 as the other pre-drilled wells are brought online, prior to further platform drilling commencing later this year. On plateau the WA facility will add 300 000 barrels per day in addition to the plateau rate of 340 000 barrels of oil per day from Central Azeri. (Trend)

“The start up of West Azeri is as important as our achievement of our first oil from Central Azeri last year. It marks the culmination of our efforts to consistently meet our target of delivering a platform a year between now and 2008,” said David Woodward, BP’s Associate President in Azerbaijan. “The start up of WA will contribute to the rapidly increasing volumes of oil from ACG flowing into BTC once it becomes fully operational in spring this year”,  he said.

The WA facilities comprise a 48-slot production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform and a 30" oil pipeline tie-in to the onshore Sangachal Terminal.

Oil from WA will be transported via the new 30” subsea pipeline to the onshore Sangachal Terminal, which has been expanded, including three new crude oil storage tanks.

Associated gas produced from WA will flow via in-field gas subsea pipelines to the Compression and Water Injection Platform (C&WP) installed in Central Azeri for re-injection into the reservoir for pressure maintenance or used as fuel. Surplus gas will be exported via an existing gas subsea pipeline into the Sangachal Terminal and onward via the new gas export pipeline into the Azerigas system for domestic use.



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