SOCAR and BP have agreed on a target final oil recovery factor of more than 40% for the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oilfield block and are expanding drilling infrastructure to support work at the mature field.
The plans were outlined by SOCAR Vice President Babek Huseynov and Dan Sparks, BP’s vice president for subsurface resources in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, according to Vesti Baku.
Huseynov said the target was calculated after the companies jointly analyzed oil quality, reservoir characteristics and existing infrastructure. He said a recovery factor above 40% is considered among the strongest results achieved at oilfields worldwide.
Seven Rigs Operating, Eighth Planned
SOCAR and BP are continuing seismic studies and increasing drilling capacity as they work toward the target. The start-up of the Azeri Central East platform increased the number of drilling rigs at ACG from six to seven. The companies also plan to bring in another rig for subsea work.
The volume of seismic data collected at ACG has reached 750 terabytes. The companies gather about 250 terabytes of new data each year to produce a more precise image of the reservoirs, bringing the total dataset close to one petabyte.
Why the Target Matters
ACG has passed peak production and is now in a phase of natural output decline. Further recovery from the block therefore depends on more detailed analysis of complex reservoirs, new wells and efficient use of the existing offshore infrastructure.
The new target does not mean that a recovery factor above 40% has already been achieved. SOCAR and BP consider the level technically attainable and are carrying out the work needed to extract additional oil from the producing asset.