BP Confirms Temporary Stoppage at Shah Deniz Field

Work has been suspended from the Shah Deniz field following technical problems caused by a malfunction during planned maintenance. Production is expected to resume later this evening.

A spokesperson for BP, the operator of the field, said that the stoppage was due to an unexpected malfunction, which the company was currently working to resolve.

"During planned maintenance work on a power system at the Shah Deniz platform a malfunction occurred which triggered the automatic shutdown of the platform," Reuters reports the spokeswoman as saying.

"We did suspend gas exports from the terminal at around the same time yesterday. The platform will be restarted as soon as the maintenance activities are complete which is planned for this evening."

Trend news agency reports that production from all four wells was suspended as part of the shutdown, as well as the cut-off of gas to the pipeline serving the field, the South Caucasus pipeline.

The Shah Deniz field has faced similar difficulties to many of its fellow production fields in recent weeks. Severe weather conditions have sharply raised the demand for gas, leaving many producers and suppliers struggling to keep up. The stoppage today will affect supply to Turkey and Georgia.