Oil & gas news

BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN DETAILED ENGINEERING PHASE CONTRACTOR AWARD

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project shareholders have announced that they have selected Bechtel International Inc. as the contractor to provide detailed engineering and procurement services for the pipeline project in the Azerbaijan Republic and Georgia.

In addition, Bechtel will provide personnel and resources to BP's BTC team, which manages the project for the entire pipeline system, including the interface with BOTAS, who is the turnkey contractor for the Turkish sector.

Bechtel International Inc. was selected from 5 bidders after a rigorous international tendering and evaluation process, which emphasized not only technical engineering competence and experience but also the ability to meet the BTC shareholders' high standards and strong commitment to safety and environmental performance.

BTC project is owned in the following percentages: SOCAR 50%, BP 25.41% and operator, Unocal 7.65%, Statoil 6.37%, TPAO 5.02%, Itochu 2.92%, Delta Hess 2.03% and Devon Energy 0.60%.

Bechtel International Inc. is a global engineering-construction organization headquartered in the USA. It provides premier technical, management, and directly related services to develop, manage, engineer, finance, build and operate installations for customers worldwide.

TOTALFINAELF TO ABANDON TALYSH-DANIZ/LANKARAN-DANIZ ?

After the second appraisal well on Talysh-Daniz came out dry, speculations appeared that the Talysh-Daniz/Lankaran-Daniz prospect has not justified expectations. Then, however, the SOCAR vice-president Khoshbakht Yusifzadeh told journalists that it was premature to talk of the absence of reserves in the field and that another well would be drilled on Lankaran-Daniz this year. This prompted rumormongers to say that the project operator TotalFinaElf does not want to allot funds for drilling and is considering abandoning the field.

The company does not deny having suspended the work, but declined to provide further comment, saying a final decision was up to the head office in Paris.

SOCAR holds a 25% interest in the project, TotalFinaElf 55%, OIEC 10%, and Wintershell 10%.

OVER 300 COMPANIES REGISTERED FOR CASPIAN OIL & GAS SHOW-2001

The 8th international exhibition and conference Caspian Oil&Gas-2001 will be held in Baku June 5-8, as over 300 companies are going to take part. According to British Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd., organizer of the show, 30% of the companies representing 25 countries of the world, will participate in the traditional exhibition for the first time.

More than 40 people are registered to make presentations at the conference, which will be co-chaired by SOCAR president Natiq Aliyev and Agip-Azerbaijan director for exploration and production Eros Agostinelli.

Presentations will be made concerning the innovations being applied in the Caspian, development of the oil and gas infrastructure in the region, etc.

Issues of regional cooperation will be touched upon on the last day of the conference by US, Iranian, British, Russian, Kazakh, and Japanese ambassadors.

SHORTAGE OF RIGS ALTERING PLANS

The "Istiglal" semi-submersible rig will start drilling operations on Nakhchivan prospect after completing drilling of the first exploratory well on Absheron field, according to a SOCAR source.

The decision follows a BP report, which claimed that upon completion of work on Absheron, "Istiglal" would continue drilling on Inam, which was suspended temporarily due to high reservoir pressure.

Drilling operations on Absheron are expected to complete in July, then drilling on Nakhchivan will take approximately three months. In other words, drilling of the first well on Inam may last till 2002 due to the shortage of rigs in the Caspian.

FIRST APPRAISAL WELL BEING BORED IN KURDASHI

Drilling of the first appraisal well on Kurdashi prospect started the other day, an Agip source said last week. Drilling is being carried out off "Dada Gorgud" semi-submersible rig.

Three evaluation wells will be drilled on the prospect.

SOCAR holds a 50% interest stake in the contract, Agip (operator) 25%, Mitsui 15%, TPAO 5%, and Repsol 5%.

DRILLING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

The "Salyan Oil" operating company has drilled the first onshore appraisal well on Garabagli field to the mark of 3,303 meters, according to SOCAR. Drilling operations are progressing ahead of schedule and can complete before mid-June as was projected.

The designed depth of the well is 4,254 meters, of which 3,330 meters will be vertical. The rest of the drilling will be sidetracked.

"Salyan Oil" will also conduct public hearings of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the drilling of 3 appraisal wells on May 24.

Involved in the "Kursangi-Garabagli" PSA are SOCAR with a 50% interest stake, Frontera Resources 30% and Delta Hess 20%.

DRILLING ON GARABAGLI TO START THIS YEAR

The "SalyanOil" operating company has completed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the drilling of Garb-1, Garb-2 and Canub-L-1 wells on Garabagli field. Public hearings of the EIA have been scheduled for May 24 in Salyan, according to a source from the company.

After comments and suggestions are introduced, the Assessment will be forwarded to the state committee on ecology.

Shortly afterwards, drilling operations will commence on the field, most likely in the fall of this year.

SOCAR holds a 50% interest in the Garabagli-Kursangi PSA, Frontera Resources 30% and Delta Hess 20%. "SalyanOil" in the project operator.

Azernews

AssA-Irada