OREANDA-NEWS. On September 22, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, BP Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gordon Birrell visited the ATA (AMEC/Tekfen/Azfen) construction yard and saw the processes within the “Shahdeniz-2” project. They were informed that the implementation of these projects has continued successfully. The project is now over 82 percent complete in terms of engineering, procurement and construction and remains on target for first gas from SD2 in 2018. Ten production wells have already been drilled using the Heydar Aliyev and ?stiqlal drilling rigs in preparation for the first gas from the SD-2 and subsequent production ramp up. Project activities continue at ATA (AMEC/Tekfen/Azfen) yard and Baku Deepwater Jackets Factory and along the pipeline route. In May 2016, the subsea construction vessel “Khankendi”, specifically designed and built to install the subsea structures of the SD-2 gas development project, was re-floated into the Caspian Sea.

For the first time in the history of Azerbaijan’s world-class construction sites, the construction of the SD-2 platforms are being undertaken 100 percent in the country. The two topside units are currently being built at the Azfen construction yard in Bibi-Heybat by the ATA consortium. The topside units are on track for offshore installation during the summer of 2017. To date the construction of two topside units is 93 percent complete - the living quarters and utilities platform deck - 98 percent and the production and risers platform deck - 91 percent.