During the first quarter of 2012, ACG spent $169.1 million in operating expenditure and $571.4 million in capital expenditure. For the full year, we expect to spend about $708 million in operating expenditure and $2,516 million in capital expenditure on ACG activities. ProductionDuring the first quarter of 2012, ACG produced on average 711,800 barrels per day (b/d) (64.8 million barrels or 8.8 million tonnes in total) from the Chirag, Central Azeri, West Azeri, East Azeri and Deepwater Gunashli platforms.
At the end of the first quarter of 2012, a total of 60 oil wells were producing, while 30 wells were used for injection in the ACG field, as follows:
Chirag had 14 wells (9 oil producers and 5 water injectors, producing on average of 80,200 b/d.
Central Azeri (CA) had 17 wells (12 oil producers, 1 water injector and 4 gas injectors, producing on average 180,000 b/d.
West Azeri (WA) had 21 wells (16 oil producers and 5 water injectors), producing on average 190,300 b/d.
East Azeri (EA) had 16 wells (12 oil producers and 4 water injectors), producing on average 142,100 b/d.
Deepwater Gunashli (DWG) had 22 wells (11 oil producers and 11 water injectors), producing on average 119,300 b/d.
Associated gas
During the first three months of 2012, BP as operator of the ACG field continued to supply associated gas via the 28” gas subsea pipeline from three platforms (CA, WA and EA) to the Sangachal terminal and from there into Azerigas’ national grid system for domestic use. Some of the associated gas produced from the Chirag platform was sent to the SOCAR compression station at the Oil Rocks via the existing 16” subsea gas pipeline. The rest of the associated gas from the ACG platforms was sent via in-field subsea gas pipelines to the compression and water injection platform (C&WP) on CA for re-injection to maintain pressure in the reservoir. Gas injection activities currently continue from four wells on CA.
During the first quarter of 2012, we delivered around 11.1 million cubic metres (about 391 million standard cubic feet) per day of ACG associated gas to SOCAR. For the full year we expect to deliver about 3 billion cubic metres (about 106 billion standard cubic feet) of associated gas to SOCAR.
Drilling and completion activity
In 2012, we are planning to deliver 6 oil producer wells. We have already delivered one gas injector well - B01y. COP pre-drill campaign is planned to finish around November 30 with 4 wells drilled to the 13-3/8” casing and 4 wells to 9-5/8” casing shoe.
Chirag: Rig maintenance will continue through June 2012. When this is completed we will perform some planned intervention activities followed by A16 well drilling and completion operations.
Central Azeri: B01y gas injector well was drilled, completed and handed over to production on February 19, 2012. Following this B24 pilot hole was successfully drilled to its total depth, was plugged and abandoned on April 8.
The remaining plan for 2012 is to perform some intervention activities followed by delivering one producer well - B25 in the third quarter and drilling one gas injector well B26, which is planned to be delivered in the first quarter of 2013.
West Azeri: At the beginning of 2012, gas lift retrofit operations were performed on C07 well. This was continued by recompletion operations on C04 well, which were completed in February 2012, and re-completion operations on C16 well which were completed in April. For the remaining part of the year we plan to deliver one producer well – C26 in the third quarter and to commence drilling C27 well which will be delivered in the first quarter of 2013.
East Azeri: In the first quarter of 2012, re-completion activities were performed on D04 well. Following this we commenced drilling and completion operations on producer well – D16, which we plan to deliver in the second quarter. This will be followed by another producer well - D21 with delivery planned for the fourth quarter of 2012.
Deepwater Gunashli (DWG): We commenced drilling activities on E16 producer well on December 29, 2011 and are planning to deliver it during the third quarter of 2012. We have temporarily suspended E16y well operations in order to perform intervention activities on E05 and E09 wells.
We are planning to commence the next well - E17 during the fourth quarter of 2012 and to complete it in the second quarter of 2013.
In the second quarter of 2012, the Dada Gorgud rig will start DWG subsea wells drilling activities with H05 and H06 wells. Plans are to start these wells in June and suspend them in the third quarter of 2012 at 13 3/8” casing point. After that the rig will move to the Chirag Oil Project area to resume COP pre-drill programme.
Chirag Oil Project (COP) pre-drilling: 2012 started with J02z well, which was spudded on December 25, 2011 and was drilled and suspended at 9 5/8” casing point on January 27, 2012.
Following the planned blow out preventer (BOP) maintenance programme, the COP pre-drill programme resumed on J05 well, which was drilled and suspended at 9 5/8” casing point on April 2. Following this the rig moved to J07 well to perform the same operation. We are planning to drill and set 9-5/8” casing on J11 – in the second quarter, J10 and J14 – in the third quarter, J08, J13 and J12 – in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Shah Deniz (SD): Intervention activities on SDA05x started on December 26, 2011 and were completed on February 25, 2012. This was followed by SDA06 well recompletion which is expected to complete in the second quarter of this year. We are planning to have then a five-yearly rig certification and this will be followed by drilling of the side-track well SDA03Y during the fourth quarter of 2012.
Shah Deniz Full Field Development (FFD): SDX07A was spudded in March 2011 and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012. The next well is planned to commence during the fourth quarter of 2012 with drilling expected to complete in the third quarter of 2013.
Chirag Oil Project (COP)
During the first quarter of 2012, COP construction activities continued on schedule and according to plan.
Overall the project has made very good progress at all fabrication sites with 62 per cent of work scope already completed.
Through our construction contractors COP currently employs more than 5,500 people in total at all construction sites and 90% of these are Azerbaijani nationals.
During the first quarter of 2012, COP accomplished the following activities:
At the ATA (AMEC-Tekfen-Azfen) yard:
First system mechanically complete 1QAt Baku Deepwater Jackets Factory (BDJF):
Marine and subsea activities:
AT CPC:
COP milestones for the remaining part of 2012 are:
At ATA:
At BDJF:
Marine and subsea activities:
AT CPC:
Oil and gas from ACG and Shah Deniz have continued to flow via subsea pipelines to the Sangachal terminal.
The capacity of the terminal’s overall processing systems is currently 1.2 million barrels of oil and 25.5 million cubic metres of Shah Deniz gas per day (about 39.5 million cubic metres in total).
Gas is exported via the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and via a SOCAR gas pipeline connecting the terminal’s gas processing facilities and Azerigas’s national grid system.
During the first quarter of 2012, the Sangachal terminal exported about 76.6 million barrels of oil (including 66.7 million barrels through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), 8.1 million barrels through the Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP) and 1.55 million barrels by rail).
On average about 22 million standard cubic metres (about 777 million standard cubic feet) of Shah Deniz gas was exported from the terminal daily during the first quarter of 2012.
In the first quarter of 2012, BTC spent $7.1 million in capital expenditures. The 2012 plan for BTC capital expenditures is $61.7 million.
BTC’s throughput capacity is currently 1.2 million b/d.
Since June 4, 2006 up to end of first quarter of 2012, 1,827 tankers were loaded at Ceyhan with a total of about 1,408 million barrels (188 million tonnes) of crude oil transported via BTC and sent to world markets.
To date BTC’s highest daily throughput has been 1.044 million barrels per day.
The total volume of oil exported via BTC to date is about 1,440 million barrels (about 193 million tonnes) loaded on 1,870 tankers.
The BTC pipeline currently carries mainly ACG oil and Shah Deniz condensate from Azerbaijan. In addition, crude oil from Turkmenistan has and continues to be transported.
Shah Deniz (SD) Stage 2, or Full Field Development (FFD), is a giant project that will bring gas from Azerbaijan to Europe and Turkey. This will increase gas supply and energy security to European markets through the opening of the new southern gas corridor.
The estimated $25 billion Shah Deniz Stage 2 project is expected to add a further 16 billion cubic metres per year (bcma) of gas production to the approximately 9 bcma from Shah Deniz Stage 1. It is one of the largest gas development projects anywhere in the world.
This Stage 2 development of the Shah Deniz field, which lies some 70 kilometres offshore in the Caspian, is expected to include two new bridge-linked production platforms; 26 subsea wells to be drilled with 2 semi-submersible rigs; 500 km of subsea pipelines built at up to 550m of water depth; a 16 bcma upgrade for the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP); and expansion of the Sangachal terminal. Further pipelines will be built and expanded to transport Shah Deniz gas through Turkey and Europe.
In April 2012, the Shah Deniz consortium reached an important milestone and approved the decision to commence Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) on the Stage 2 project. This was officially announced in Baku during a meeting between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Ilham Aliyev and Bob Dudley, Group Chief Executive of BP, the Operator of Shah Deniz.
The Shah Deniz Stage 2 project will bring gas from the Caspian Sea to markets in Turkey and Europe, opening up the ‘Southern Gas Corridor’. Achieving this important milestone allows the consortium to maintain its target for first gas exports around the end of 2017.
The entry into FEED represents the start of a key phase in the project during which engineering studies will be refined, further wells will be drilled, commercial agreements will be finalised and key construction contracts will commence.
During the FEED phase of the project, the Shah Deniz consortium will finalise its selection of export routes across Turkey and into Europe.
Gas sales and transit agreements were signed in October 2011 with BOTAS, the Turkish pipeline company, and the Turkish Government – all within an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed by the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey. Since that date, agreements have been signed to allow the Trans Anatolia Pipeline to commence engineering studies for potential gas transportation across Turkey. Three options are being considered to carry gas into Europe: the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) with a route to Italy; Nabucco West taking gas from Turkish-European border through Eastern Europe to the West and the South East Europe Pipeline (SEEP) taking gas to Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. The Shah Deniz consortium will make a final route selection in 2013.
In the first quarter of 2012, SCP spent $1.0 million in capital expenditures. The plan for 2012 is to spend $13.1 million in SCP capital expenditures.
The pipeline has been operational since late 2006 transporting gas to Azerbaijan and Georgia, and starting July 2007 to Turkey from SD Stage 1.
During the first quarter of 2012, SCP’s daily average throughput was about 15 million cubic metres (518 million cubic feet) of gas or over 89,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
The SCP has a dual operatorship with BP as the technical operator being responsible for construction and operation of the SCP facilities and Statoil, as commercial operator, is responsible for SCP's business administration.
On 4 January, 2012 the Gilavar seismic vessel completed the planned 3D seismic acquisition on the Shafag-Asiman structure. The seismic survey, which commenced in November 2011, was conducted in accordance with the exploration plans under the new production sharing agreement (PSA) between BP and SOCAR on joint exploration and development of the Shafag-Asiman structure in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.
This was the first 3D seismic ever conducted on the contract area. It is followed by data processing which will continue into 2013. This processing will be the largest 3D survey ever processed in-country. Then some 18 months will be required for data interpretation and another year for planning of the first exploration well.
The block lies some 125 kilometres (78 miles) to the South-East of Baku. It covers an area of some 1,100 square kilometres and has never been explored before. It is located in a deepwater section of about 650-800 metres with reservoir depth of about 7,000 metres.
Success of our projects in the Caspian in part depends on our ability to create tangible benefits from our presence for the people of the countries where we operate. To achieve this, we continue to carry out major sustainable development initiatives which include educational programmes, building skills and capabilities in local communities, improving access to social infrastructure in communities, supporting local enterprises through provision of access to finance and training, as well as technical assistance to public institutions.
During the first quarter of 2012, BP and co-venturers spent about $0.44 million in Azerbaijan alone on such sustainable development projects.
BP and its co-venturers will continue their sustainable development initiatives to support local enterprise development and capacity building throughout Azerbaijan to assist the country in strengthening its economy.
The most recent examples of such initiatives have been:
Download the presentation slides about our business performance
Further information: Tamam Bayatly at BP’s Press Office in Baku.
Telephone: (+994 12) 599 45 57