BP has reported that oil and gas production was down for the first half of 2011 year-on-year on the back of weaker gas demand and a disruptive infrastructure improvement program.
The BP-led AIOC group that operates the Chirag, Azeri and Guneshli (ACG) oilfields in the Caspian Sea and the major Shah Deniz gas field produced 19.0 million tonnes of oil in January-June 2011, down from 20.2 million tonnes in the same period of 2010, according to a Reuters report.
Gas output at Shah Deniz declined to 3.07 billion cubic metres (bcm) from 3.6 bcm in the same period a year ago.
“We support long-term stable output at ACG and not short-term ups and downs in production,” BP-Azerbaijan spokeswoman Tamam Bayatly told Reuters.
“That’s why we have been conducting and conduct work aimed at optimisation of the output, particularly changing equipment at old drilling wells, improving their design.”
