BP ceases using Central Azeri platform for planned operations in Azerbaijan

(Trend) -- BP, the operator developing the block of offshore fields Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli in Azerbaijan, has recently stopped work on the Central Azeri platform, which is part of the technical maintenance programme of three extractive platforms in the Caspian Sea, the company told Trend on Monday. The platform will be commissioned in mid-December. Prior to this the company had held tests and commissioned the Eastern Azeri and Western Azeri platforms.

According to the plan, the production on the three platforms, Eastern Azeri, Western Azeri and Central Azeri will be suspended in a planned sequence to ensure efficient technical maintenance. The company stressed that the work is not going to be stopped on all three platforms simultaneously. When working on one, the other two platforms located on the Azeri field will continue working. This is part of a daily technical maintenance programme which is on-going. The planning in connection with this and other maintenance work carried out earlier this year began a year ago and included in the annual programme of operations and budget.

The Azeri technical maintenance programme includes general, mechanical, instrumentation and other work. The production from other platforms, under the BP management - Chirag, Deep-Guneshli (both - parts of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli) and Shah Deniz, as well as export transactions through the South Caucasus Gas Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) and the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline will continue as usual.

The BTC pipeline and Sangachal terminal will continue working as normal by coordinating the on-going production process at the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli and Shah Deniz fields. The shipment in Ceyhan will continue as scheduled. It reflects the reduction of the volume resulting from planned technical maintenance and cessation of work of the platforms in the Azeri field.

ACG participating interests are: BP (operator - 37. 4 %), Chevron (11.3 %), SOCAR (10 %), INPEX (11 %), Statoil (8.6 %), ExxonMobil (8 %), TPAO (6.7 %), ITOCHU (4.3 %), Hess (2.7%).

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