Birrell: First oil production from Karabakh field expected in 2029

First oil production from the Karabakh field is planned for 2029, BP Executive Vice President for Production and Operations Gordon Birrell said during a company press conference as part of the Baku Energy Forum, Report informs.

"We are aiming to obtain first oil in 2029. This is a relatively fast development time for a large oil field. The concept today is an unmanned (without permanent personnel) platform. That is, there will be a platform with process units, but everything will be controlled remotely. There will be very few, and perhaps no, people on the shelf. This is a lightweight, compact platform with a superstructure (deck) and some units. Then oil and gas will be transported to the infrastructure of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block, which makes the project relatively efficient, with low costs and a small platform weight," he noted.

Birrell added that most likely, the new platform will be built in Azerbaijan.

"Its integration with the existing ACG infrastructure will make the project very efficient," he said. The company's vice president also reminded that "Karabakh is an oil discovery made several years ago."

BP signed agreements with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) today as part of the Baku Energy Week to acquire stakes in two projects. The first is the Karabakh oil field, located 120 km east of Baku, 20-25 km from the Gunashli field, at a depth of 150-200 m, and the second block is the prospective Ashrafi - Dan Ulduzu - Aypara (ADUA) structure, located 90-110 km northeast of Baku, at a depth of 80-180 m.

BP acquired 35% from SOCAR in each of these projects. The remaining 65% in the projects remained with the State Oil Company. BP will act as operator in both projects.