Azerbaijan to increase gas production

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.3 By Emil Ismayilov - Trend: The volume of gas production in Azerbaijan, without the gas injected into reservoirs, will amount to 20 billion cubic meters, according to the estimates, an article of Ramiz Rzayev, head of the Investment Department of the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry said. In turn, there are opportunities to almost double this figure in 2025, the department head said. Gas production amounted to over 14.62 billion cubic meters of marketable gas in Jan-Oct. 2013 which is 1.9 per cent more than in the 10 months of 2012. Gas production amounted to 17.24 billion cubic meters excluding associated gas in 2012 which is by 5.4 per cent more than in 2011. The opportunities of the country's opened gas condensate fields, as well as the potential of prospective structures located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea create an optimistic prognosis, the article said. Rzayev highlighted the prospects and opportunities of some new fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, such as Absheron and Umid, as well as the prospective sites at Shafag-Asiman, Zafar-Mashal and Nakhchivan. 'The work carried out within the current projects, as well as assumptions related to the prospective structures indicate that the potential for the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea will exceed our expectations', the material said. The proven gas reserves of Azerbaijan exceed 2.55 trillion cubic meters. In turn, the anticipated gas reserves of the country are estimated at six trillion cubic meters.