Offshore staff
BAKU, Azerbaijan — Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, has launched the new topsides built by the Bayil fabrication yard for the bp-operated Azeri Central East (ACE) platform in the Caspian Sea.
The 19,600-metric ton topsides will sail away for offshore installation later in the current quarter. It includes facilities for oil and gas processing facilities, an integrated drilling rig, a gas compressor and living quarters.
Construction and commissioning works are close to completion. Following operational tests, the structure will be loaded out onto the transportation barge STB-1, taken to the field location and placed on the already installed jacket.
Following several months of offshore commissioning, the first ACE platform well should be ready to drill, delivering first oil in early 2024. It is designed to process up to 100,000 bbl/d of oil and to produce up to 300 MMbbl over its lifetime.
The $6 billion ACE project’s 48-slot production, drilling and quarters platform is located mid-way between the existing Central Azeri and East Azeri platforms in 140 m of water.
Other new facilities include infield pipelines to transfer oil and gas from the ACE platform to the existing Phase 2 oil and gas export pipelines for transportation to the Sangachal terminal; and another pipeline between the East Azeri and ACE installations importing injection water from the Central Azeri compression and water injection platform.
ACE will be remotely controlled from Sangachal.
04.13.2023
