SOCAR expects to disclose ACG recoverable gas volumes soon

SOCAR expects to disclose estimates of recoverable non-associated gas volumes at Azerbaijan’s Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field complex soon, the company’s First Vice President Babek Huseynov said.

Developing those resources would give the predominantly oil-producing project a “second life”, supplying gas to both domestic and export markets, he said.

Huseynov said billions of cubic metres of non-associated gas remained to be recovered at ACG, but gave no specific estimate or date for its disclosure. He described results from the first non-associated gas well positively, without providing production rates.

Unlike associated gas produced alongside oil, non-associated gas occurs independently of oil accumulations. Huseynov said ACG already produced substantial volumes of associated gas and that developing its non-associated gas resources would broaden its role in Azerbaijan’s gas supply.

He also linked the project’s prospects to Azerbaijan’s commitments to supply gas to Europe, but did not identify future export volumes, buyers or delivery schedules.

BP’s Spicer, answering a question about ACG’s future, said substantial amounts of oil remained to be recovered, although production would continue to decline as the finite resource was depleted.

Increased activity and new technologies had helped counter the decline, but there were limits to how much further activity could be accelerated, he said. He stressed the importance of finding new technical solutions and jointly addressing technical, economic and logistical obstacles.

BP has clarified that ACG’s annual oil production decline had slowed to around 3% by November 2026, from about 12% in 2023.