Azeri oilfield

Azeri (Azerbaijani: Azəri) is an offshore oil field in the Caspian Sea, located 100 km (62 mi) east of Baku, Azerbaijan and is a part of the larger Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) project. The Azeri field includes Central Azeri, West Azeri, East Azeri production platforms compression and water injection platform (C&WP).^[1] The field was discovered in 1988, and originally it was named after 26 Baku Commissars.^[2]

Central Azeri

Central Azeri is a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform located in nearly 128 m (420 ft) depth of water in the central part of the Azeri field. The platform is constructed to produce approximately 420,000 bbl/d (67,000 m³/d). The facilities on Central Azeri include:

• a 48-slot PDQ platform
• a 30-inch (760 mm) oil pipeline from the platform to the receiving Sangachal Terminal
• a 28-inch (710 mm) gas pipeline from the platform to Sangachal Terminal.

Central Azeri has started its operations in February 2005^[1]

West Azeri

West Azeri is a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform located in 120 m (390 ft) depth of water and was constructed to produce oil from the western section of Azeri field. West Azeri adds 300,000 bbl/d (48,000 m³/d) to the overall ACG production.^[3] The facilities on West Azeri include:

• a 48-slot PDQ platform
• a 30-inch (760 mm) oil pipeline from the platform to receiving Sangachal terminal

The platform has started its operations in December 2005.^[1]

East Azeri

East Azeri oil platform, May 2008

East Azeri is a production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform located in 150 m (490 ft) depth of water and was constructed to produce oil from the eastern section of Azeri field. East Azeri produces 260,000 bbl/d (41,000 m³/d). The facilities on East Azeri include:

• a 48-slot PDQ platform^[1]

The platform has started its operations in October 2006.^[4]

Compression and water injection platform (C&WP)

The C&WP supplies Central, West and East Azeri platforms with water and gas injection services, manages gas export and provides electrical power using 10 Rolls-Royce turbines. The platform is bridge linked to Central Azeri platform.^[1]

Gas injection capacity at C&WP is 1 billion cubic feet per day (28 million cubic metres per day) utilizing 5 gas injection wells. Water injection capacity is 1 million barrels per day (160 thousand cubic metres per day) utilizing 12 water injection wells. Gas export capacity stands at 250 million cubic feet per day (7.1 million cubic metres per day). Azeri C&WP has some of the largest water injection pumps and gas injection compressors among BP platforms worldwide. The topsides have been constructed in the ATA (AMEC-Azfen-Tekfen) construction yard in Bibi-Heybat, Azerbaijan.^[5]

2008 gas leak and blowout

On 17 September 2008, a gas leak was discovered in the area of the Central Azeri platform after blowout in a gas-injection well.^[6][7][8] The platform was shut down and the staff was evacuated.^[6][7] As the West Azeri Platform was being powered by a cable from the Central Azeri Platform, it was also shut down.^[9] BP, an operator of ACG, suspected a bad cement job caused the leaking gas.^[10] Production at the West Azeri Platform resumed on 9 October 2008 and at the Central Azeri Platform in December 2008.^[11][12]

See also

• Azerbaijan portal
• Energy portal

• Azeri–Chirag–Gunashli
• Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline
• Sangachal Terminal
• South Caucasus Pipeline
• Baku–Supsa Pipeline
• Baku–Novorossiysk pipeline
• Nabucco pipeline
• Baku–Novo Filya gas pipeline
• Nakhchivan field

References

1. Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli. The largest oil field under development in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian basin.
2. Zonn, Igor S.; Kosarev, Aleksey N.; Glantz, Michael H.; Kostianoy, Andrey G. (2010). The Caspian Sea Encyclopedia. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 57. ISBN 9783642115240.
3. "BP Begins Production at West Azeri Field in the Caspian Sea". Rigzone. 2006-01-05. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
4. "Production Begins at East Azeri in the Caspian Sea" (Press release). BP. 2006-10-23. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
5. ""Golden Weld" Ceremony Links Azerbaijan and Georgia". Azerbaijan International. sec. 12.4, pp. 84–87. Winter 2004. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
6. Yevgrashina, Lada (2008-09-17). "BP halves Azeri oil production after gas leak". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
7. Gismatullin, Eduard (2008-09-17). "BP Shuts Down Two Azeri Oil Platforms After Gas Leak". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
8. Walt, Vivienne (2010-07-01). "WikiLeaks: BP's 'Other' Offshore Drilling Disaster". Time. Archived from the original on December 19, 2010. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
9. US Embassy in Azerbaijan (2008-10-08). US embassy cables: BP may never know cause of gas leak, US told [Original title: Azerbaijan seeks to develop ACG deep gas, can supply Georgia with winter gas]. The Guardian (Report). Retrieved 2012-07-01.
10. US Embassy in Azerbaijan (2009-01-15). US embassy cables: BP blames gas leak on 'bad cement job' [Original title: Azerbaijan: BP downbeat on 2009 Shah Deniz phase two progress]. The Guardian (Report). Retrieved 2012-07-01.
11. Yevgrashina, Lada (2008-10-10). "BP resumes oil output at one Azeri platform". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
12. Yevgrashina, Lada (2008-12-23). "BP partially resumes production at Azeri platform". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved 2012-07-01.

External links

• Image showing Chirag within ACG fields