The Zira field is located south-east of the Absheron peninsula, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, 30 km from Baku. It is of 3.5-km length and 1.5-km width. Ancient Caspian sediments cover its surface.
Since 1930, geological mapping and geochemical exploration have been carried out in the field, and gas has been discovered in drilled wells. During 1931-1951, gravity, electro-exploration and seismic surveys were carried out in the area, and elements of an anticline were discovered. The Zira structure belongs to the type of buried deposits and is tectonically brachianticline.
The field was discovered in 1956 through well No. 7, the deepest well in Europe at that time. Its first oil output was 80 tons per day from a depth of 4,651-4,669 m. Later, 300,000 m³ of gas and 103 tons of condensate per day were produced from this well, as well. The field was intensively developed for several years.
As of January 1, 2024, 73 wells have been drilled in the field. They produced more than 1.630 million tons of oil, 991,000 tons of condensate and 6.586 million m3 of gas. The highest production in the Zira field was recorded as 163,000 tons in 1959. Currently there are 2 operating wells in the field. Other wells were abandoned due to various reasons. The depth of productive reservoirs and complexity of accidents made it difficult to eliminate accidents and side-track operations. Also, most of the area where the field is located is not on the balance sheet of its operator and is currently used for other purposes.
On December 14, 2021, Risk Service Agreement related to the Rehabilitation and Development of the Block including the Buzovna-Mashtaga, Gala and Zyria Oil Fileds in the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed between SOCAR and GL International LTD LLC. On April 5, 2022, the Agreement was ratified by Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From the effective date of July 01, 2022, of the Agreement, Taghiyev OGPD of SOCAR’s Azneft PU carrying out field development was liquidated and the Gala field is currently operated by the Taghiyev Operating Company LLC established under the Agreement.