Oil major BP, as the operator of the consortium behind the Azeri Shah Deniz field, has started drilling a new exploration well (SDX-8) in the contract area, in the Caspian Sea, offshore Azerbaijan.
The company is using the Heydar Aliyev semi-submersible drilling rig, which was moved to the SDX-8 location in the eastern flank of the Shah Deniz field in December 2022.
It is planned to drill the well to a total depth of around 7,000 metres.
"If successful, the well will provide a clearer understanding of drillability, producibility and resource potential of the deeper horizons beneath the currently producing reservoirs in the eastern flank," BP said.
The well will take approximately one year to drill, and a further testing program could extend the well’s duration in order to evaluate the results, the company said.
