The Republic of Azerbaijan has been rapidly developing and achieved high results since it regained independence. The implementation of the new oil strategy worked out under the leadership of Nationwide Leader Heydar Aliyev increased economic strength and international authority of our country considerably. 

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), pursuing the oil strategy set by Nationwide Leader, is currently introducing projects of regional and global importance thereby making worthy contribution to the development of the economy. Energy reserves of the country are growing thanks to discovery of new fields and their operation. In this way, export potential of Azerbaijan is also growing. 

For the past years SOCAR has been carrying out important activities aimed at boosting domestic oil-gas production. 

Therefore, unique onshore and offshore platforms are installed by using the most advanced techniques and technologies. Accelerated drilling work is carried out along with the launch of new oil and gas wells. In general, SOCAR turned into a modern company over the past years, i.e. the company meeting global standards. Special credit in achievement of these results should be given to selfless work of drill men who pave the way toward subsoil assets. 

Complex Drilling Works Trust is currently conducting prospecting-exploration and production drilling work approximately on 25 onshore and offshore fields of the country by using new techniques and technologies meeting international standards. Besides, environmental regulations and other numerous factors are taken into account when performing the above mentioned works. 

Drilling operations are carried out at Guba-Caspian shore, Lower-Kur shore, in oil bearing areas of Absheron as well as at Baku and Absheron archipelagos. 

Based on the information provided by customers, the personnel of the Trust cooperates closely with departments, possessing big scientific potential and operating within SOCAR, in order to stabilize oil-gas production at operational fields and discover new fields in the areas where prospecting-exploration operations are carried out. 

Special attention that SOCAR management pays to the performance of drilling operations serves as a basis for drill men to carry out much harder work aimed at development of the oil industry and enhancement of the economic strength of the country. As a result, every passing year is remembered as the year of high achievements. In this regard, the drill men who completed the year of 2013 with high technical-economic indicators, laid basis for gaining following successes this year as well. Thus, the total volume of onshore and offshore drilling work performed by the Complex Drilling Works Trust within 4 months of 2014 reached 39,545m. Drilling of 32 wells was commenced during January-April. Drilling operations were completed on 25 wells. 26 wells were passed to customers. 

Platform #122 has been recently opened at Bulla-Deniz field. Participating in this ceremony were President of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev and other representatives holding managerial positions within the company. A ten-block platform designed for drilling three production wells was installed at a depth of 26m. It should be noted that a well #124 (with budgeted depth of 6,000m) is planned to be drilled on one of these days at Bulla Deniz field which occupies a special place among discovered fields of the Baku archipelago in terms of presence of rich deposits and perspectiveness for conduction of prospecting-exploration operations. The well has been designed for drilling toward the 8th horizon of the productive stratum. 

Apart from this, drilling of the prospect well #1 was commenced at Agburun-Deniz field by using self-lifting drilling rig Khazar-6. It should be noted for details that the well #1 was designed for drilling through the Podkirmakin suite, which is about 1250m, in order to explore Aghburun-Deniz structure, conduct reservoir evaluation and estimation of the oil-gas content of the field. 

The team of the Complex Drilling Works Trust continues intensive drilling operations at strategic field Guneshli. Fixed platforms #10, #14 and #19 are currently performing drilling operations on wells #341, 343 and 37 respectively. In line with these operations, it is planned to commence drilling of production well #34 from platform #8. 

Besides, the team of the Trust is successfully performing drilling operations at Neft Dashlary field from platforms #1887, 2585, 2521, 2150 and 418А.

Darvin bankasi is another field where drilling operations are underway. Drilling of 20 wells at site #620 was completed over the past period. A total of 8 wells are planned to be drilled at site #740 in future. It is planned to drill the first well #738 there in the nearest future. Umid field abounding with rich gas-condensate resources was discovered and commissioned by oilmen of Azerbaijan. It is the team of the Complex Drilling Works Trust that drilled the first well which revealed these resources. 

It must be noted that commissioning of the Umid field is first of all indicating the economic strength of the country and logical completion of SOCAR’s turning into the world-class company. 

SOCAR built unique platform Umid-1 using its own resources. The drilling of the exploration well #10 from this platform was completed 4 months ahead the schedule, i.e. in the summer of 2012. The most advanced technique and technologies were used when drilling this well. Among these are hydrocarbon based solutions, deep-well pumps, modern hydraulic underreamers and bicentric drill bits. 

The well designed and drilled down to 6400m has fully entered the 7th horizon of the productive strata. It is relevant to note that daily production on the well # 10 totaled 1 mln 200 thousand cubic meters of gas and 150 tons of condensate after conduction of perforation and development work in June 2012.  Evaluation of data about Umid field confirms presence of huge hydrocarbon reserves on this field, and it once again proves that the mentioned field possesses the biggest gas reserves following Shah Deniz field. These reserves are currently estimated at 200 bcm of gas and 40 mln tons of condensate. A new gas pipeline connecting platform Umid-1 with the gas pipeline system of the country was laid over the past period. Umid is also the first field discovered after Azerbaijan regained independence. This achievement went in history as major success gained by oilmen of Azerbaijan. 

Important measures have been undertaken for the past years in order to improve gas supply to the population in autumn-winter season.  According to SOCAR’s plan of actions, purposeful and sequential operations, aimed at increasing capacity of Galmaz and Garadagh underground gas storages operating in the country, are carried out for reaching this goal. Operations on drilling of new wells at Galmaz and Garadagh areas are currently ongoing. According to SOCAR’s plan of actions, commissioned and drilled were the wells #630 and #627 at Galmaz area, and the wells #469 and #480 at Garadagh area. Drilling of the well #636 on Galmaz area and the well #478 at Garadagh area is ongoing successfully. 

For the past years SOCAR has been performing broad-scale building and assembling operations and estate maintenance work within the framework of the program of social-economic development of the regions. From this standpoint, particular importance is attached to operations aimed at urgent securing gas supply stability of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Building of underground gas storages in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is aimed not only at substantial improvement of gas supply but also at positive solution of a number of social tasks. Exploratory drilling work was completed on wells #1 and #2 of Tumbul area in order to build underground gas storage on the base of the salt field Nehram. Drilling work is currently continued successfully at exploration well #4. 

The team of the Trust applying advanced equipment, techniques and technologies in its work has mobilized all facilities for successful conduction of onshore/offshore prospecting and production drilling as well as for fulfillment of all tasks assigned for this year.