bp to launch new gas output from ACG field in Azerbaijan this summer

Energy major bp plans to begin production from “free gas” reservoirs at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field during the summer months.

As reported by AzerNEWS, speaking at a briefing on March 6, bp’s regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, Giovanni Cristofoli, said the company expects to bring a newly drilled deep well at the ACG field into operation in the first half of the year.

“What particularly excites me is that in the first half of the year, around the summer months, we will put into operation a well drilled from a deeper section of the ACG reservoir,” Cristofoli said.

According to him, the new well will allow bp to explore a previously untapped section of the reservoir that could contain significant volumes of gas, potentially leading to a notable increase in production.

Cristofoli also noted that one of bp’s main priorities in Azerbaijan is to maximize oil production at the ACG field while effectively managing the natural decline in reservoir productivity that occurs as more oil is extracted.

“The ACG field is one of the largest and most important oil fields in the world. The way we manage this field ranks among the best performances in the industry,” he said.

He explained that bp is focusing on several key strategies to maintain production levels. First, the company is increasing the number of wells drilled in the reservoir.

“Thanks to our partnership with SOCAR and our drilling contractors, we have managed to increase drilling activity by more than 30 percent while using the same equipment and maintaining similar costs. That is real efficiency,” Cristofoli said.

The second focus is reservoir activation.

“As oil is produced, pressure must be maintained to allow fluids to continue flowing to the surface. To achieve this, we inject water and gas into specific areas to ensure continuous reservoir activation,” he explained.

The third pillar is the use of advanced technologies.

“For example, we conduct seismic surveys using high-precision seabed sensors,” Cristofoli added.