The full-field development of Azerbaijan’s offshore Absheron gas and condensate field is targeted to start up in 2029, after TotalEnergies, SOCAR and XRG took a final investment decision on September 26.
The partners expect total field output to reach six billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year and 47,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate. Gas is destined for Azerbaijan’s domestic market, with exports to Turkey moving via existing infrastructure.
Output from four subsea wells will travel through a subsea pipeline to a new onshore processing plant. TotalEnergies said the facility would operate fully on electricity and be designed to limit energy consumption. The pipeline will also incorporate automation systems.
TotalEnergies operates Absheron with a 35 per cent interest. SOCAR also holds 35 per cent, while XRG holds the remaining 30 per cent.
A gas sales agreement signed on June 1 by SOCAR, Turkey’s BOTAŞ, TotalEnergies and ADNOC covers 33 bcm of Absheron gas for delivery to Turkey over 15 years from 2029, the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said.
XRG said Absheron is connected to the Southern Gas Corridor, the 3,500-kilometre route linking Caspian gas supplies with south-eastern Europe. The corridor entered operation in December 2020.
SOCAR signed a separate 10-year gas supply deal with Germany’s SEFE in 2025, with volumes set to rise to 1.5 bcm a year for delivery in Italy.
Absheron’s first phase was sanctioned in 2018 and started producing gas in 2023. It has capacity for 1.5 bcm of gas a year and 12,000 bpd of condensate. Its single subsea well connects to a gas-processing platform and SOCAR facilities at Oil Rocks.
Absheron lies about 100 kilometres southeast of Baku in the Caspian Sea. Discovered in 2011, it contains approximately 140 bcm of recoverable gas, TotalEnergies estimates.