Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

A joint venture of Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) and Petrofac, and BP has secured a new contract worth around $25 million, to support the Azeri Central East project, operated by BP in Azerbaijan.

The scope of work includes the provision of commissioning technicians and other specialist personnel, mobilization and associated services to support the project at both onshore and offshore work sites in-country.

SOCAR’s vice-president for HR, IT and regulations Khalik Mammadov underlined that the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli block is the most profitable asset of Azerbaijan’s oil industry.

“Following the extension of the ACG contract until 2050, we initiated the construction of the modern ACE offshore platform to sustain the level of production. SOCAR is represented within AIOC, the operator of the project participating in this crucial project,” he added.

Moreover, he added that the joint venture with Petrofac will contribute to the ACE project as a service provided.

“Today, SOCAR's subsidiaries and joint ventures provide world-class services to operators of major oil and gas projects in Azerbaijan. As a result, the construction and installation of oil and gas platforms, pipelines, plants, facilities and ships in Azerbaijan are all carried out mainly by our local specialists. That leads to the creation of new jobs for our citizens,” Mammadov said.

Noting that the service sector has become one of SOCAR’s core activities in recent years, Mammadov stated that the joint venture established with Petrofac is already operating at full capacity, expanding its scope of operations and achieving new successes.

“I believe that the agreement we signed with BP today will give a serious impetus to both the development of the joint venture and lifting our partnership with BP to a new level,” he added.

Global Head of Petrofac Training Services and SOCAR Petrofac Board member Patty Eid underlined that the SOCAR Petrofac JV is well-positioned to support BP’s operations more widely in the Caspian Sea.

“The development is already generating a significant number of jobs and our scope of work will involve the mobilization of around 200 specialist personnel over the duration of the contract, and the provision of all associated support services, for the safe and successful performance of the commissioning work,” Patty Eid stated.

The SOCAR Petrofac joint venture was established on December 5, 2017 under a memorandum of understanding signed between SOCAR and Petrofac to make better use of the country's commercial opportunities for training and education in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries.

The Azeri Central East project is the latest phase of development in the Azeri, Chirag and Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) contract area in Azerbaijan. The project is designed to produce up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day. Construction works are currently in progress with the first oil expected in 2023.

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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

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