A group led by Total SA has a gas-condensate discovery as large as several trillion cubic feet in the Caspian Sea off Azerbaijan.
The Absheron X-2 well cut more than 500 ft of cumulative net gas pays in high quality sands on the northern flank of a 270 sq km structure 100 km southeast of Baku and 25 km northeast of Shah Deniz gas-condensate field (OGJ Online, Jan. 20, 2011).
Reservoirs are expected to extend over the entire northern part of the structure. The well has been drilled to 6,550 m in 500 m of water and is being deepened to other objectives that look attractive, said Marc Blaizot, Total senior vice-president exploration.
Total, which has 10% interest in Shah Deniz field operated by BP PLC, noted that Shah Deniz production reached 78 MMcfd in 2010.
Total EP Absheron operates the Absheron license with 40% equity. GDF Suez has 20% interest, and State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic has 40%.
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.