Shah Deniz field's recoverable reserves may increase
By Aynur Jafarova
Recoverable reserves of the giant Shah Deniz gas condensate field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea may increase as a result of future stages of its development, Deputy Vice-President of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR Vitaly Beylerbeyov said on March 5.
"The reserves of the gas condensate field are currently estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters," he said, adding that the figure may be much higher.
"The real figure may be anywhere from 1.4 to 1.5 trillion cubic meters," Beylerbeyov noted.
He went on to say that the field's reserves can be increased through development of the reservoirs, located in the deeper layers (below the producing formation).
"The consortium has held several discussions in regards to development of these reservoirs, which will be the third stage of Shah Deniz field's development project," Beylerbeyov said.
"We discussed how to further develop this field to maximize the effect of extraction of reserves of the field, and how to achieve large volumes," he said.
"The project will require additional technology, as the reservoirs located below the productive layer stand out with a higher pressure," Beylerbeyov explained.
The official went on to note that adoption of such technologies that have never been used in the country's oil and gas industry will allow significantly increasing the level of gas extraction.
The Shah Deniz field, one of the world's largest gas-condensate fields, was discovered in 1999. The field has proved to be a secure and reliable supplier of gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Europe.
The gas that will be produced in the second stage of Shah Deniz field's development project will be the main source of supplying the Southern Gas Corridor. The Corridor envisages transferring Caspian gas to European markets.