BAKU, Oct. 20 - Offshore construction has begun on the Shah Deniz compression project, worth about 4.93 billion manats ($2.9 billion), with four piles installed to support the new platform’s jacket.
Transport and installation of the piles were completed over the past few weeks using the Khankendi subsea construction vessel, BP Azerbaijan said in a statement reported by Report on Oct. 20.
Each pile is about 70 meters long, 108 inches in diameter and weighs 292 metric tons. BP said they were the largest-diameter piles it had installed in the Caspian Sea.
A specially designed 188-metric-ton subsea support structure kept the piles stable and upright during installation. The next major milestone, installation of the platform’s jacket, is scheduled for the first half of 2028.
Recovering Low-Pressure Gas
The project is intended to produce low-pressure gas reserves and improve recovery from the Shah Deniz field. It is expected to yield about 50 billion cubic meters of additional gas and 25 million barrels of condensate. Those figures refer to future production, not volumes already recovered.
The electrified platform, equipped with four compressors rated at 11 megawatts each, is planned for water 85 meters deep, about 3 kilometers from the existing Shah Deniz Bravo platform. It will compress gas from the Alpha and Bravo platforms before it is sent to the Sangachal terminal.
Construction is expected to finish in 2029. The platform is scheduled to begin receiving gas for compression from Alpha in 2029 and from Bravo in 2030. APA previously reported the project’s specifications and schedule, citing BP.
Source: Vesti Baku.