The Bahar Gas Field

The Bahar Gas Field is located in shallow water 40 km southeast of Baku, offshore in the South Caspian Basin. The Bahar Gas Field is located in the South Apsheron Offshore Zone of the South Caspian Basin, and is found along the Fatmai-Gum Adasi anticlinal trend which includes the Gum Deniz and Shakh Deniz structures. The Bahar structure is a north-south trending faulted anticline that is approximately 9.5 kilometres in length and 3.5 kilometres in width. The field was discovered in 1968 and production began in 1969 with cumulative production year end 2017 of 4.54 Tcf and 84 MMbbls condensate.

The Bahar Gas Field consists of 45 offshore platforms including a central processing and metering platform to gather the gas for onward transport through a three 12-inch pipelines to the shore-based gas and liquid handling facilities.  The platforms, in most cases are built on 24 to 30 pilings each in an average water depth of about 16 metres.

When BEOC began operations in 2010, many of the platforms were in poor condition, with boat landings, gangways, decking and flowlines often in need of repair and replacement.  To date, 12 platforms have been refurbished as necessary to enable safe production operations or workovers.  Operations staff work on rotational schedules and are transported by a crew boat, off-loading at boat landings that have been constructed at each platform. 

A total of 203 wells were drilled in Bahar Gas Field prior to 2010.  More than 100 of these wells remain available for BEOC to utilize at its discretion in current or future operations.  Currently 10 of these wells are producing natural gas.  Condensate flows to shore along with the gas and is separated at an onshore facility.  For individual well testing, gas and liquids are separated and measured in offshore testing facilities and recombined for transportation to shore.  The future development of the Bahar Gas Field includes refurbishment of as many as 20 platforms and recompletion of over 50 wells over the next five years.