while we wait for the rig - recap.17 Sep 2018 16:06
As part of Zenith's field rehabilitation programme, the Company has decided to replace 4,000 metres of line pipe across its field area in Azerbaijan by the close of 2018. Delivery of the first batch of line pipe is expected to take place within the next 14 days. The line pipe replacement programme will begin immediately upon delivery of the materials.
The installation of new line pipe is expected to yield the following benefits: minimising oil loss during transportation from the well to Zenith's field oil processing and storage facility; reducing restrictions to oil flow from active production wells, a lowering of line pipe pressure.
as part of its ongoing field rehabilitation and infrastructure modernisation activities, the Company plans to begin the reconstruction of a 2000m3 oil storage tanks during the month of September. It is expected that further storage tanks will undergo reconstruction work later in the year.
Work Programme
The Company is currently in the process of revising its work programme with its new operational management. Once this is defined, Zenith will provide shareholders with a clear summary regarding its operational strategy for the rest of the year 2018.
New technology has enabled some of the 11 new electrical submersible pumps to be installed at a depth of approximately 2,500 meters. All of the previous electrical submersible pumps installed in Zenith's field had a maximum setting depth of approximately 1,500 meters.
-Significant reduction of the production decline rate, approximately 12% per annum, and minor production increase (57 bopd) across these 11 wells.
-Stabilisation of production achieved through the increased reliability offered by new ESP technology. Previous ESP technology often failed causing production downtime.
On May 18, 2018, Zenith had announced that it had planned to increase the number of new electrical pumps installed in the Muradkhanli and Jafarli oilfields to 12. However, the Company's field team has since pulled one of its newly installed electrical submersible pumps on account of poor performance that rendered the installation uneconomical.
Considerable progress has been made in many areas to ensure that we now return to the Zardab field with the full capability to achieve the results that have eluded us thus far. The geological work performed during recent months has significantly enriched our understanding of the field's geology, and further substantiated our confidence in the transformational potential of our Azerbaijan asset.
The arrival of new operational management in September, as well as some of the most powerful drilling equipment the field has seen in the last twenty years, means we shall be positioned to fully execute our work programme.
The months ahead are set to be hugely exciting for Zenith, and I hope shareholders will soon be fittingly rewarded for the loyalty and confidence they have shown in the project since the Company's listing on