(In AUG 3 story, removes reference in paragraph 2 to Statoil,which no longer has stake)
BAKU, Aug 3 (Reuters) - British oil major BP hassuspended operations on the Shah Deniz platform in the CaspianSea as well as the Shah Deniz facility inside the Sangachalterminal for planned maintenance from Aug. 2, the company saidon Monday
Shah Deniz, Azerbaijan's biggest gas field, is beingdeveloped by partners including BP, Azeri state energy companySOCAR and others.
"In accordance with the plan, production from the Shah Denizplatform will be suspended on 2nd August for about 20 days toenable efficient maintenance, inspection and project work to beundertaken," field operator BP's Azerbaijan business said in astatement.
"This is a routine, planned programme and is part of normaloperations ... The shut-down is also included in the annualproduction forecast," it said.
Natural gas output from the offshore field rose to 2.6billion cubic metres (bcm) in the first quarter of this yearfrom 2.32 bcm in the same period of 2014. It produced 0.6million tonnes of condensate, the same as in the first quarterof last year.
Shah Deniz is estimated to contain 1.2-1.5 trillion cubicmetres of gas. Shah Deniz I has been pumping gas since 2006,while gas from its second stage is expected to reach Europe by2019-2020.
BP said on Monday that production from the main Azeri,Chirag and Guneshli (ACG) oilfields operated by BP as well asexport operations and loadings at ports of Ceyhan in Turkey andSupsa in Georgia would continue as normal. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Margarita Antidze;Editing by Pravin Char)
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