SOCAR starts drilling new well offshore
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR has started drilling a new well in the shallow part of the Gunashli field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, SOCAR said on October 22.
The projected depth of the well on the Gunashli-13 platform constitutes 3,450 meters. According to the forecast, the well will produce 100 tons of oil per day. Operational work in the well will be carried out by "28 May" Oil and Gas Department.
The Gunashli field's deep-water section is in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli block of oil and gas fields and is being developed by SOCAR jointly with foreign companies.
SOCAR, which includes production associations Azerneft (companies involved in production of oil and gas onshore and offshore), Azerkimya (chemical industry enterprises), and Azeriqaz (gas distribution), is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in the domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan.
The company, which is keen on expanding operations in the retail oil products market abroad, owns gas stations in Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Georgia and Ukraine. It has representative offices in Georgia, Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Britain, Iran, Germany and Ukraine, and trading companies in Switzerland, Singapore, Vietnam, Nigeria, and other countries.