BP Azerbaijan expects first low-pressure gas from the Shah Deniz field in mid-2029, Report informs referring to the company.
“Since the start of production from the Shah Deniz gas field the pressure has naturally been falling in the reservoir. Gas compression has been widely adopted by the petroleum industry and is validated as a reliable method for improving the reserves base. As gas fields mature, their reservoir pressure declines with an associated reduction in gas production rates. This phenomenon is even more pronounced in fields where aquifer water breaks through and results in rapidly falling well head pressures which naturally result in reduced reserves recovery over the producing life of the field.
The installation of a compression platform in the Shah Deniz field will elongate well life and field life by allowing access to untapped reserves which may be left behind if surface compression facilities are not put in place in a timely manner. Offshore compression allows consolidation of large gas volumes produced via the SDA and SDB wellheads at lower pressures into a high-pressure stream, providing the driving force to keep the gas moving down the export lines,” reads the report.
The SDC project comprises an electrically powered Normally Unattended Installation (eNUI)2 (Shah Deniz Compression platform), infield subsea gas pipelines to/from the existing SDA and SDB gas export lines (along with associated spools/structures for pigging, bypass and isolation, and control umbilical), a combined power and fibre optic cable (PFOC) from Sangachal Terminal to the SDC platform (and an interconnector PFOC from SDB to SDC platform).
The SDC platform will be located approximately 3 km from SDB platform and 10 km from SDA platform in around 85 m water depth. Brownfield works will be undertaken at SDA, SDB and Sangachal Terminal as part of the project. No new infrastructure will be required at Sangachal Terminal (other than installation of power receiving and transfer kit) and there will be no expansion of the terminal area.
It is currently planned to undertake fabrication of the SDC jacket and topside, as well as elements of the subsea infrastructure, in Azerbaijan. The tender process for the selection of the construction contractors is planned for completion by the end of Q2 2025. The majority of the onshore construction and commissioning activities at the construction yards are expected to occur between 2026 and 2028 based on the current schedule.
It is expected that by 2027, the local workforce involved in the construction phase of the SDC project will be approximately 2,600 people. Since the SDC platform will operate without service personnel, only a limited number of maintenance staff will be involved during the project’s operational phase.
Earlier, BP Azerbaijan’s spokesperson Tamam Bayatly reported that the Final Investment Decision (FID) will be made this year.
