March 2014, Vol. 241 No. 3

Projects

Production Begins At West Chirag In Caspian Sea

The Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), operated by BP, announced start-up of oil production from the West Chirag platform as part of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field development in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. Start-up of the West Chirag platform completes the Chirag Oil Project (COP) sanctioned in 2010.

West Chirag production began from one of the pre-drilled wells Jan. 28, 2014. The oil will first pass through the newly installed processing facilities on the platform and then will be exported to the Sangachal Terminal via a new in-field pipeline linked to an existing 300-inch subsea export pipeline. Production will increase through 2014 as the other pre-drilled wells are brought on line.

Gordon Birrell, BP’s regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, said: “The start-up of COP marks a major milestone in the development of the super- giant ACG field. West Chirag is the eighth world-class offshore platform that we have built and operated in the Caspian. To date the ACG field has produced over 2.3 billion bbls of oil and with future continual major investments in new technologies and facilities, like the one we have today started up, it will continue to produce as a world-class reservoir for many decades.”