BP to start planned maintenance on Chirag platform

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

BP, as operator of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of fields, will start planned maintenance (turnaround - TAR) on the Chirag platform, as part of its ACG annual work programme, the company reported in its statement.

In accordance with the plan, production from the Chirag platform will be suspended on September 23 for around 25 days to enable efficient maintenance, inspection and project work to be undertaken.

During the TAR, various projects such as flare tips changeout and ignition system upgrade, passing valves replacement and critical repair works will be undertaken.

Moreover, some important Chirag Gas Lift project activities will be taking place as one of the main TAR drivers which will extend the Chirag field life, enhance the production and strengthen process safety.  

The company noted that this is a planned programme and is part of normal operations, emphasizing that the planning phase of the programme started in 2020 and these activities are included in the 2021 Annual Work Programme and Budget. The shutdown is also included in the annual production forecast.

"Production from the other ACG platforms, as well as the platforms on the Shah Deniz field, Sangachal Terminal operations and export operations via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, the Western Route Export Pipeline and the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP and SCPX) will continue as normal," the statement reads.

BP emphasized that such planned events are a necessary part of the long-term reliability, integrity and production performance, driven by repair and facility modification work that can only be performed during a full-plant outage.

The initial ACG production sharing agreement (PSA) was signed on 20 September 1994. The field started production from the Chirag platform on November 7, 1997.

Earlier it was reported that the oil production at the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields, which are the largest oil field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, hits 4 billion barrels.

The shareholders in the ACG project are BP (operator, 30.37 percent), SOCAR (25 percent), MOL (9.57 percent), INPEX (9.31 percent), Equinor (7.27 percent), ExxonMobil (6.79 percent), TPAO (5.73 percent), ITOCHU (3.65 percent), ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) (2.31 percent).