Caspian Energy (CE): Mr.Shirali, Azerbaijan is celebrating the Oilmen’s Day on 20 September. What role did the Contract of the Century play in development of the Azerbaijani oil sector?
Iskandar Shirali, Chief, SOCAR Complex Drilling Works Trust: 20 September 1994 became an important and historical day in development of independent Azerbaijan. The oil contract best known worldwide as the Contract of the Century prepared under the leadership of the national leader, Heydar Aliyev was signed on the same day. These contracts opened a glorious page in oil and new economic history of Azerbaijan.
The signing of the Contract of the Century was not only the victory of the far-seeing and effective energy strategy of Azerbaijan but laid the foundation for the country’s economy to flourish and allowed the country to grow into a regional leader in implementation of projects in the sphere of oil, gas, transport and other spheres as well. The Contract of the Century promoted the creation of durable, sustainable and highly profitable ties of the Azerbaijani economy with the world economic system and allowed it to become a real power bridge between the East and the West.
Considering the invaluable importance of the Contract of the Century in terms of development of Azerbaijan and regional countries, in 2001, national leader Heydar Aliyev signed a decree to mark 20 September as the professional holiday of oilmen: Day of Azerbaijani oilmen. By this document, the national leader has again highly estimated the self-sacrificing labor of oilmen and since that time, the oilmen of Azerbaijan have been celebrating this remarkable day every year.
Today, our country is living with the achievements of oil strategy, founded by the national leader, Heydar Aliyev. Country’s growing into a guarantor of the world energy security has been the result of the purposeful use of existing natural resources. The worthy follower of the political course of National leader Heydar Aliyev - Ilham Aliyev is developing the oil strategy, enriching it with new ideas. When noting the special role of the oil strategy in strengthening the economic and political positions, President Ilham Aliyev says that no economic or political projects in the region are possible without participation of our country which evidences the growing influence of Azerbaijan in the region.
For the purpose to ensure flexibility of the oil strategy, economic effectiveness and attaching a special business form to the activity of the company’s structure, the president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev carried out a number of major transformations within SOCAR. This sets a definite program of actions before each structural unit of the company.
CE: The activity of drilling workers had been excelling with high indicators over the past years. Was this rate maintained in 2013?
Iskandar Shirali: The drilling workers completed January-August 2013 with high technical and economic indicators, thus ensuring the successful completion of drilling works this year. 96,896 meters have been drilled on the onshore and offshore sections of the country in the reported period. This is a growth of 10,142 meters over the same period of the last year (111.7%). Drilling of 51 wells has been launched, drilling of 43 wells has been completed and the same number of wells has been commissioned since the start of this year.
The trust is generally filled with determination to continue the successful implementation of works for drilling exploration wells in onshore and offshore sections of the country in 2013. Drilling of new wells so that to raise gas extraction will continue according to the SOCAR’s action plan aimed at improving of gas supply to population. Drilling of new wells is planned to ensure gas supplies to population on Galmaz and Garadagh areas of the Gas Reservoirs Operation Department. In addition, there is a plan to build a number of platforms on Gunashli, Oil Rocks, Pirallahi and Darvin Banka fields and to launch operations on drilling of wells from the same platforms. In addition, there is a plan to build three more platforms on Western Absheron field and launch works on horizontal drilling of well No1211 in Pirallahi.
It is encouraging that like in previous years, the drilling workers commission high-output wells in 2013 and this positive tendency continues. Thus, the drilling workers have launched 2 wells on the Gunashli field of strategic importance. These are well No 42, drilled from stationary platform No 6 and well No 340 drilled from stationary platform No 10. I would like to note that well No 42 was commissioned with an output of 15 tons of oil and 160,000 cu m of gas, while well No 340 has an output of 60 tons of oil and 10,000 cu m of gas. The drilling workers launched drilling of four wells on strategic Gunashli field in January-August. These are wells No 340 and No 341, drilled from stationary platform No 10, well No 41 from stationary platform No 14 and well No 45 from stationary platform No 6. It is noteworthy that well No 340, as I have already mentioned, has been transferred to the customer with a high output.
High-output wells were also commissioned on Oil Rocks field. Among them there are wells No 2602 and No 2595 successfully drilled on section No 2585 with the oil output of 30 tons each. Well No 2533, drilled on section No 2521 of Oil Rocks field was also commissioned with high output of 20 tons of oil. Drilled on platform No 1887 of the Oil Rocks field, well No 2677 was also commissioned with the output of 30 tons of oil and 42,000 cubic meters of gas.
Drilling of one more operational well No 12 with the projected depth was launched to the seventh horizon of the productive layer from platform No 1 on Umid field four months ahead of the schedule after completion of drilling exploration well No 10 and work on drilling this well is currently continued. The most updated technical means and technologies applied in the world drilling practice are used on the wells. Among them are the solutions on hydrocarbon basis, depth engines, modern hydro boosters and bicentric bits.
It is also worth mentioning that exploration well No 10 drilled to the depth of 6400 meters has fully uncovered the seventh horizon of the productive layer, which is a projected horizon and has thus fulfilled its geological tasks. The daily output of the second well No 10, drilled from the Umid platform, totaled 1,200,000 cubic meters of gas and 150 tons of condensate. The analysis of data on Umid evidences the presence of huge hydrocarbon reserves on this field and this proves that after the Shah Deniz field, this field has huge gas reserves.
The drilling work on exploration well No 23 from fixed offshore platform No 63 on Alat-deniz section has been successfully completed and the well was commissioned with the daily output of 9 tons of condensate and 70,000 cubic meters of gas. In addition, the drilling work on well No 732 with the projected depth of 5750 meters from fixed offshore platform No 730 on 8 March field was launched on 7 February 2013. About 5653 meters have currently been drilled and fifth and seventh horizons of the productive layer been uncovered.
After descending a 193.5mm-diameter casing to this depth, the drilling operations will continue until the full opening of the seventh horizon of the productive layer. ZJ 50 DBM drilling rig made in China has been mounted on section No 2585 of the Oil Rocks field and drilling works continue successfully. Three wells have been drilled and commissioned from platform No 2585, while drilling works on the fourth well No 2596 are currently underway.
Expansion of gas reservoirs Galmaz and Garadagh to improve gas supply to the population is among the major tasks SOCAR faces. Thus, drilling of wells No 480 on Garadag field and No 627 on Galmaz field continue successfully by the schedule to this end. Drilling of another well No 469 on Garadag field and well No 630 on Galmaz field will be launched soon. All necessary works are currently being held for implementation of these plans. Drilling of these wells is aimed at increasing the level of active gas storage.
Seven wells (No 633, 634, 637, 635, 639, 638 and 599) have been successfully drilled on Galmaz field of the Gas Reservoirs Operation Department and five wells (No 473, 474, 477, 479 and 476) have been drilled on Garadag as part of the plan of actions for 2012-2013. All these wells have already been commissioned.
CE: Which novelties are applied while drilling of wells?
Iskandar Shirali: It should be noted that Chinese ZJ 50 DBM drilling rig with the RPDE system, meeting the requirements of modern standards is used on Garadag field in drilling wells No 477 and No 476 and a planned drilling of production - injection well No 469 . VARCO production TDS-11SA top driver has been mounted on the rig. Drilling rig 50 ZJ DBM allows drilling to a depth of 5000 meters. Triplex pumps with the working pressure of 350 atmospheres of 3NB- 1600 type, main diesel generator CAT- 3512 of 1200 kW and auxiliary generator CAT- 3406 of 365 kW, receiving tanks manufactured by Derrik for cleaning of mud with the general capacity of 350 cubic meters have been mounted on the drilling rig. Driller’s cabin is equipped with modern devices and surveillance cameras.
New equipment and technology are used in drilling of these wells. So, high technical and economic parameters have been achieved through using the drilling mud on hydrocarbon base, hydraulic spreaders, deep engines, YASS accelerators and other technologies. The drilling operations are controlled by electronics, all performed operations are automated. Successful completion of drilling operations has been achieved through the efforts of the personnel of the «Absheron» drilling operations department of the «Complex Drilling Works» Trust. In order to protect the environment from pollution, a modern tank with a capacity of 400 cubic meters have been built on the rig.
