BP puts Shah Deniz Stage 2 on stream

BP has commenced production at the USD 28-billion Shah Deniz Stage 2 project offshore Azerbaijan, the super-major announced on Monday.

The massive Caspian Sea development, which includes the most extensive subsea infrastructure BP operates globally, feeds the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, known as TANAP. The pipeline was inaugurated in June and will eventually feed Europe with gas from Azerbaijan.

“Together with the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline system, Shah Deniz 2 will deliver significant new energy supplies to Europe, further diversifying its sources of energy and providing new supplies of natural gas, which will be essential in the energy transition,” said BP’s CEO Bob Dudley in a statement.

“This milestone achievement is a credit to the Shah Deniz partners and to our close co-operation with the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, building on the relationships BP has built in the region over more than 25 years.”

BP has a 28.8% operating stake in Shah Deniz Stage 2, which is to pump 16 bcm (565 bcf) of gas per year at its peak. The super-major’s partners there are Turkish Petroleum (19%), SOCAR (16.7%), Petronas (15.5%), Lukoil (10%) and Naftiran Intertrade (10%).