Total declares Azerbaijan Caspian gas find commercial
Total E&P Absheron has filed a notice of discovery and commerciality for the Absheron offshore block east of Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea offshore Azerbaijan.
The Absheron X-2 well, declared a discovery in September 2011, went to 6,874 m in 474 m of water. One of the hydrocarbon-bearing intervals was tested at 33.9 MMcfd of nonassociated gas and 2,500 b/d of 42.5° gravity condensate (OGJ Online, Sept. 9, 2011).
Total said well results indicate a gas resource of 5-10 tcf of non-associated gas with condensate in the Pliocene Balakhany and Fasila formations on the northern compartment of the structure. The elongated structure straddles approximately 270 sq km, and the cumulative net pay is more than 160 m thick.
Total is sidetracking the well toward the northern part of the structure.
The discovery is 100 km southeast of Baku and could be developed with a limited number of wells for a first phase of development. The work program includes studies and surveys to “better dimension this development, Total said. A 3D seismic campaign will be shot in 2013, and more appraisal wells may be drilled to better assess the structure’s extent and geometry.
Total E&P Absheron (TEP AB) is operator of the Absheron license with 40% equity. The partners are State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic 40% and GDF Suez 20%.
Alan Petzet | Chief Editor Exploration
Alan Petzet is Chief Editor-Exploration of Oil & Gas Journal in Houston. He is editor of the Weekly E&D Newsletter, emailed to OGJ subscribers, and a regular contributor to the OGJ Online subscriber website.
Petzet joined OGJ in 1981 after 13 years in the Tulsa World business-oil department. He was named OGJ Exploration Editor in 1990. A native of Tulsa, he has a BA in journalism from the University of Tulsa.