Drilling

Drilling in the SOCAR-operated fields is carried out by the company's Complex Drilling Works Trust (CDWT), SOCAR AQS LLC and Gulf Drilling Supply FZE entities. Glolynx Azerbaijan LLC, newly established in Azerbaijan, is also included in the list of drilling contractors since 2024.

CDWT was established in 2007 as part of SOCAR. The trust drills shallow, medium and deep wells in offshore and onshore fields. During the past years, CDWT drilled and brought to production hundreds of wells in both simple and complex geological structures and played a major role in preventing the dynamics of production decline.

CDWT carried out nearly 150,000 meters of drilling in the last three years with mobile and stationary drilling rigs It succeeded in drilling wells to target while safely and promptly eliminating complications by involving both local and international subcontractors. New drilling methods and technologies have been kept in focus, and the use of new generation drilling fluids has been expanded.

Over the past years, high level of production was achieved by drilling 6,000-m deep wells from Platform-122 located in the Bulla-Deniz field, which is among the most complex geological structures in the Baku Archipelago. Exploratory Well-91 was successfully drilled from Platform-12 allowing for the evaluation of oil and gas-bearing formations.

CDWT is carrying out the rehabilitation of wells in the inactive lot of the Gunashli field with considerable oil reserve that were not operated due to technical reasons. Planned measures are being implemented in drilling sidetracks from various platforms in the field and returning wells to production. Drilling of the sidetrack Well-341a has been initiated from the mainbore Well-341 off Platform-10 at the end of 2023. Successful completion of this well, and drilling and deliveries of more wells by CDWT is anticipated in 2024.

CDWT also drilled land wells in the fields with simple structures such as Neft Dashlari, West Absheron, Pirallahi, Darwin Bankasi, Sadan and Bibiheybat. All the geological complications were safely and successfully mitigated.

CDWT has initiated projects in Türkiye as a subsidiary of SOCAR since 2022. It successfully drilled four exploratory wells providing drilling contractor services to TPAO.

SOCAR AQS LLC was established in 2007 by SOCAR and Abşeron Qazma (“Absheron Drilling”) company as a joint venture providing integrated drilling and well services. Subsequently, the company's shareholders and share distribution have changed. Currently, the main shareholder is NEQSOL Holding, a Nobel Energy subsidiary. SOCAR AQS LLC carries out drilling operations in the Shallow Water Gunashli, West Absheron, Umid and Bulla-Deniz fields in the Caspian Sea. The enterprise has also successfully completed the construction of 40 wells within the framework of the Tuz Gölü (“Salt Lake”) Underground Gas Storage Expansion project in Türkiye.

The company began drilling in the Gunashli field with two drilling rigs and currently continues with one drilling rig from Platform-7. Simultaneously, the company’s engineering and technical staff, equipment and facilities are deployed in the workover of wells off the platform. SOCAR AQS LLC also participates in the drilling of sidetracks on Platform-8 in the Gunashli field aimed at boosting production using sidetracks. Sidetrack Well-132a was kicked off from Well-132 mainbore and handed over to production in 2023.

SOCAR AQS LLC has been conducting successful drilling operations in the Bulla-Deniz field. In 2021-2022, time and resource savings were achieved by conducting simultaneous drilling and borehole enlargement operations for the first time in Well-117 on Platform-6. Since the spud in late 2023, operations on Well-118 off the same platform are being successfully carried out with the expectations of daily production of 500,000 m3 of gas and 100 tons of condensate by the end of 2024. The company also started drilling exploration Well-92 off the newly commissioned Platform-18. The well delivery is projected to the end of 2024.

Another company that conducts drilling operations contracted by SOCAR is Gulf Drilling Supply FZE. The company, which started activities in September 2007, is mainly engaged in oil, gas and water well drilling and workover services, well testing, cementing, logging and directional drilling with the support of modern technology in onshore deposits around the Caspian region. The contract on the provision of drilling services was signed between the local branch of Gulf Drilling Supply FZE in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Azneft PU on October 31, 2017. Since the signing of the contract and until now, the Company has carried out drilling works in the Buzovna-Mashtagha field and the Galmaz field using the latest technological offerings of the ZJ-20 and ZJ-30 mobile drilling rigs. In 2023, the company also conducted sidetrack drilling and delivered high production wells in the Galmaz field.

Glolynx Azerbaijan LLC won the tender for the drilling of new wells in the Bibiheybat field held by the Azneft PU in 2023 and was included in the list of drilling contractors from 2024. Initially, the company will be drilling wells with an average depth of 1,900 m using two drilling rigs in the Bibiheybat field.