Gas Production Rises at Shah Deniz Field

BP has charted an increase in gas production at the massive Azeri Shah Deniz field despite a drop in output in oil in the same country, the company noted today.

The increase in production on the field was noted for the first half of 2012. In that period, gas production grew from the Shah Deniz field, rising 9.4 per cent to 3.36 billion cubic metres up from 3.06 billion cubic metres despite an overall drop in hdrocartbon output in Azerbaijan.

The Shah Deniz field is estimated to have reserves of up to 1.2 trillion vubic metres.

The positive gas result is likely to bolster weak oil performance seen in the country. Today, the company reported that production of crude oil on the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG), of which BP is the operator, fell significantly from 19 million tonnes for a half year to 16.8 million tonnes, a level that has not been seen for five years.

However, the company noted that this was due to improvement works being conducted in on the fields.