SOCAR Begins Output From Umid Field

Azeri state-run gas company SOCAR has announced today that it has begun production from one of its largest fields, the Umid field in Azerbaijan.

The output, which will come from one producing well, will contribute 1 million cubic metres of gas and 200 tonnes of condensate to SOCAR's overall production capacity every day, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said today.

The field, which was discovered by SOCAR in 2010, is estimated to have massive reserves of up to 200 billion cubic metres of gas and 40 million tonnes of condensate. The well is the first of five wells which are expected to produce from the field.

The gas has been pumped from the Caspian Sea, where the field is located, to the Azeri shore. Commercial proudction is expected to commence from the first quarter of next year.