Major events in Caspian countries' oil and gas industry for week

BP completes construction of facility to increase production in Azerbaijan Company BP - operator of the "Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli" offshore fields' block has completed the construction of the jacket of the platform within the Chirag oil project (increase in oil production on the "Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli" offshore fields' block). This is the heaviest block in the Caspian Sea, which was loaded onto a barge STB-1 at the Baku Deep Water Jacket Plant named after Heydar Aliyev on Oct.20. The jacket will remain on the barge till the end of the year, which will allow to complete work on construction of underwater pipelines that are currently at the stage of mounting. It is planned to start work on installation of the jacket in early 2013. Also 90 percent of work on construction and installation of superstructures of the platform conducted by ATA (AMEC-Tekfen-Azfen) Consortium has been completed. They are planned to be sent to the sea in the second quarter of 2013. Iran to sign new gas export deals Iran plans to sign some new gas export contracts in the near future, the Iranian oil minister announced. The country will start the construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline in 30 days, the Mehr News Agency quoted Rostam Qasemi as saying. Iran also plans to commence construction of the Iran-Iraq gas pipeline, he added. Qasemi went on to note that Iran has put a ban on the exports of some oil products. Iran to boost South Pars gas output Iran's Pars Oil and Gas Company has implemented a project at phase one of the South Pars gas field which will boost output by 200 million cubic feet (5,75 million m3) to reach one billion cubic feet, ISNA reported. The project was carried out on the offshore section of the gas field and completed 16 days ahead of the schedule. All the equipment procurement and installation processes have been conducted by Iranian engineers. More than 400 Iranian companies are taking part in the development of the South Pars gas field. Contract to be signed in Kazakhstan on Pavlodar refinery's first modernisation phase The signing of a contract on the first modernisation phase of the Pavlodar petrochemical plant is expected in late December 2012, the director general of the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant JSC Shukhrat Danbay said. "Around December 25, we are planning to sign a document with the Italian company Technip Italy SpA on the implementation of the plant's first modernisation phase," Danbay said. He said this will be the so-called IP contract, including a request for documentation, basic engineering and supply of equipment with a long manufacturing period. "Large pipes for oil refining will be supplied to the plant. Delivery will be carried out via Kars Bay and further along the Irtysh," he added. The director general expressed the hope that the company will meet the deadline and manufacture Euro-5 standard by 2016. The aim of the 'Modernisation of the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant' project is to achieve a refining capacity of 7.5 million tons per year with a processing depth exceeding 90 per cent and the output meeting Euro-4 and Euro-5 standard. Turkmenneft invites foreign companies to service investment projects The Turkmenneft state concern provides many opportunities for attracting new companies in cooperation and investments and for expanding the volume of service work and types of operations in oil and gas sector, the official Turkmen source said. This issue was recently raised in the international oil and gas conference in Ashgabat. In particular, the chairman of the Turkmenneft state concern Annaguly Deryayev said that special companies will be attracted in the area of drilling to complete the well construction and development, ensure the quality of cementation, use improved technologies while opening productive horizons and introduce 'hydraulic well drilling programmes'. Turkmenneft plans to equip drilling rigs with new tools and technology for opening and developing oil and gas reservoirs without affecting their performance. Cooperation in the testing of well reservoirs' effects such as the acid treatment of beds, acoustic, vibration effects on the bottom hole formation zone is also of interest to the state concern. In addition, the state concern is particularly interested in cooperation on issues such as waterproofing repairs, elimination of casing the flow of water in the oil and gas wells as there are individual layers with high abnormal pressure, composed of loose and slightly compact rocks among new open deep-lying Miocene deposits. Problems with the corrosion of wellhead equipment leading to the formation of plugs in the bottom hole of the well which clogs the operational and lifting tubes causes emergency situations to occur within the exploitation process. "We are willing to consider the offers of our partners in all these and other problems," the head of the state concern said. Turkmenistan increases petroleum products production The Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries industrially developed about 6.41 million tons of hydrocarbons since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said. High-quality gasoline production amounted to 1.841.216 million tons, diesel fuel - 1.988.979 million tons, production increase reached 103.5 and 101.3 percent. Gazprom to bring gas production in Uzbekistan up to 300 million cubic meters in 2012 Gazprom EP International, operator of Gazprom's projects abroad, is increasing gas production in Uzbekistan by 1.4 times compared to the previous year - up to 300 million cubic meters, the company said. "Natural gas production from the Shakhpakhty field reconstruction and redevelopment of which is carried out by Gazprom International since 2004, will be about 300 million cubic meters at the end of this year, or about 20 million cubic meters more compared to the design level," Gazprom International said. According to the company, about 280 million cubic meters of gas has been produced from the field which is located in north-western Uzbekistan, and growth in output at Shakhpakhty amounted to almost 40 per cent compared to the previous tear. During 2012, Gazprom International experts overhauled and commissioned five new wells. At present the operational fund deposits increased to 16 wells, the average gas production is 956,000 cubic meters. The total of 19 wells should be restored in accordance with the project.