Caspian Giant at Third of Capacity

The BP-led Shah Deniz stage 2 gas production project (SD2) in the Caspian Sea offshore Azerbaijan managed 14.5mn m³ January 6. Output is double what it was in early December but only at one-third of its eventual 16bn m³/yr plateau production, an official told NGW anonymously (see table).

BP told NGW November 30 that actual production volume had reached 7.5mn m³/d.

SD2 started production July 31, 2018; to date 14 wells have been drilled and completed. Two of six manifolds are connected to four wells each but only three wells per manifold are permanently producing gas owing to the very high pressure of the field which is 7000 metres under the seabed. The fourth well at each manifold is to regulate future production levels.

The SD2 offshore project includes the Bravo platform, an eventual total of 26 subsea wells, 500 km of subsea pipes, and is scheduled to reach plateau capacity of 16bn m³/yr in 2020.

The source told NGW that SD2’s two new manifolds would become operational in 2019 as well, bringing the production level to the two-thirds of final capacity.

Shah Deniz gas and condensate production on January 6:

A spokesperson for BP-Azerbaijan Tamam Bayatli told NGW January 7 that “exactly 12 years after start-up of gas production from the field (SD1), its cumulative gas production reached 100 bn m³ in late December 2018." The total condensate production from Shah Deniz since 2006 is 196mn barrels.