 | Oil & gas news |
DADA GORGUD TO BE UPGRADED
The "Dada Gorgud" semi-submersible drilling rig is expected to undergo its fourth upgrade starting August 1 after the rig completes drilling operations on Kurdashi. The upgrade is to take four months and will enable drilling in 575 meters of water in a technologically progressive manner. Other capabilities of Dada Gorgud will be improved as well.
No information is yet available as to how much the upgrade might cost. The only information available is that the rig will be used in drilling on Azeri field following the update.
Dada Gorgud is operated by US-Azeri joint venture, Caspian Drilling Company.
RAMCO EXPLAINS
On July 7, Azernews quoted SOCAR as saying that 58 onshore production wells on Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardob block had become unfit for further operation. The company blamed this on British Ramco, which SOCAR believes had not properly serviced the wells for three years. Before being transferred to Ramco, these fields were producing over 50,000 tons of oil a year, something that can be achieved again in 2002 at best.
Ramco sent a fax message to Azernews Thursday saying that as a result of operations it has been ascertained that there are only 11 ecologically and economically fit wells on the field, while the rest have been shut down. The closure was earlier agreed upon with SOCAR and the State Committee on Ecology under the protocol dated July 14, 2001.
According to the message, Ramco has repaired wells, pipelines and storage tanks, but the company had to suspend the work because the field fell short of expectations. Ramco says it has invested around $25 million in the field.
Ramco abandoned Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardob on June 22, 2001 after paying SOCAR a compensation of $250,000.
SOCAR TO PURCHASE SALYAN OIL CRUDE SINCE AUGUST
Under the agreement "On selling and marketing of local crude" signed between the SOCAR and Salyan Oil operating company, the SOCAR foreign investments section is to buy Salyan Oil-produced crude at AZM261,000 per ton. In its turn, SOCAR is to export the oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline to international markets.
The Salyan Oil manager Tariyel Yolchuyev told Azernews Monday that until recently the company was selling SOCAR 15,000 tons of oil a month and exporting the rest with the aid of Caspian Transco. According to him, Salyan Oil produced over 700,000 barrels of oil in 6 months of this year, of which only 200,000 tons was sold to SOCAR.
Mr. Yolchuyev said the company extracted 170,100 barrels of oil in June.
JAOC TO HOLD EIA PUBLIC HEARING
JAOC Operating Company is going to hold Public Hearing on proposed Exploration Drilling Works in the Atashgah and Yanan Tava prospects and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The hearing will be held in Neftchala and the JAOC invites all relevant communities and the public to attend the event. The EIA related documents are available at the M. F. Akhundov state library, the library of the Academy of Sciences, the library of ISAR.
The Atashgah and Yanan Tava agreement is owned by the consortium of 4 Japanese companies, which holds 50%, and SOCAR with the other 50%.
GAS SUPPLY TO NORTHERN PROVINCES RESUMING
Russian company "CaspianGas" is expected to complete eliminating the consequences of a breakdown on the Mozdok-Gazimahammad gas pipeline shortly, enabling resumption of Russian gas supplies to Azerbaijan, according to the general director of "AzeriGasNagl" unit Nazim Samadzadeh.
As reported earlier, a 40-meter section of the Mozdok-Gazimahammad gas pipeline was damaged on July 19 after an explosion in the vicinity of a metering joint on the Chechen-Dagestani border. As a result, gas supply to Azerbaijan's northern provinces was cut off for about a week.
Under an agreement between SOCAR and Russian "Itera", 8.8 million cubic meters of gas a day was supplied to Azerbaijan through this pipeline.
AIOC TO RAISE MONTHLY OUTPUT TO 0.5 MILLION TONS
In the second half of 2001, the AIOC intends to increase monthly output to 0.5 million tons. In June the "Chirag" platform almost achieved this level as 493,000 tons were produced. In the first 6 months of 2001, the AIOC produced 2,875,000 tons.
The AIOC intends to produce 6 million tons of oil this year. In addition to that, 70-80 million cubic meters of associated gas is produced from Chirag field and passed on to SOCAR.
250,00 TONS OF OIL EXPORTED NORTHWARDS IN JULY
The SOCAR department for foreign economic relations exported the planned 250,000 tons of oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in July. The oil will be purchased by LUKoil. SOCAR is expected to embark on the August crude exports since Wednesday, a source from the department told AssA-Irada Tuesday.
SOCAR intends to export 250,000 tons of crude a month this year, bringing yearly exports to a total of 2.5 million tons.
Send it to friend
© 1998-2003 Azernews. All Rights Reserved.
Issue No.N31 (213), 2001
'Caspian hurricane' still ongoingIraqi minister for religious affairs in BakuPresident changes iranian-azeri commission make-upNews digestNationOpposition newsEcologyBusinessOil & gas news
Contact: Fazil F. Abbasov
Address: 370002, Baku, 85 S. Asgarova, 3-rd floor
Tel: (99412) 949 373, 946 542, 956 905
Fax: (99412) 958 537, 989 240
Email: azernews@azeurotel.com
