At the SDX-04 appraisal and exploration well, some 70km southeast of Baku, the partnership discovered a new high pressure reservoir in a deeper structure below the currently producing reservoir.
The well was drilled to a Caspian-record depth of more than 7,300 meters in the southwestern part of Shah Deniz. The exploration discovery represents a potentially significant find. There will be an appraisal to fully delineate the new structure in the next few years, BP said.
Bill Shrader, president of BP Azerbaijan, said: The SDX-04 well is a major achievement and it justifies our plans for the next stage of development of the field. I am proud to say that the results of the well prove that it was worth making the effort to complete and test the deepest well ever drilled in the Caspian as we met both the appraisal and exploration objectives set for it.
The parties to the Shah Deniz production sharing agreement are BP (operator with 25.5%), StatoilHydro (25.5%), the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (10%), Lukoil (10%), NICO (10%), Total (10%) and TPAO (9%).
