US services giant KBR has been selected by UK supermajor BP to help deliver the first unmanned offshore compression platform in the Azerbaijan-Caspian region.
KBR said its Socar-KBR joint venture would provide an optimisation stage engineering services contract for BP's Shah Deniz compression project in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.
The project is currently at the early pre-final investment decision stage.
KBR said the platform will be the first in the Caspian region to feature crewless operations with cutting-edge, high-end technology.
Socar-KBR's workscope includes engineering to enable integration of the new platform to the existing system and providing shore power to reduce the carbon footprint in support of BP's net-zero targets.
"We look forward to working with BP to achieve their goals of introducing novel crewless operations to the region, while also lowering their carbon footprint, reducing operating costs and eliminating personnel risks associated with such projects," said Jay Ibrahim, president of KBR's Sustainable Technology Solutions business.
"KBR's technical innovation is paving the way for clients to more easily navigate their energy transition journey toward net zero."
The Shah Deniz field was discovered in 1999, and is located on the deep-water shelf of the Caspian Sea, 70 kilometres southeast of Baku, in water depths ranging from 50 metres to 500 metres.
In the first half of 2022, the field produced a total of about 13 billion cubic metres of gas and more than 2 million tonnes (more than 18 million barrels) of condensate from the Shah Deniz Alpha and Shah Deniz Bravo platforms, BP says on its website.
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