BP Azerbaijan expects first low-pressure gas from the Shah Deniz field in mid-2029.

"Since the start of production from the Shah Deniz gas field the pressure has naturally been falling in the reservoir. Gas compression has been widely adopted by the petroleum industry and is validated as a reliable method for improving the reserves base. As gas fields mature, their reservoir pressure declines with an associated reduction in gas production rates. This phenomenon is even more pronounced in fields where aquifer water breaks through and results in rapidly falling well head pressures which naturally result in reduced reserves recovery over the producing life of the field.

The SDC project comprises an electrically powered Normally Unattended Installation (eNUI)2 (Shah Deniz Compression platform), infield subsea gas pipelines to/from the existing SDA and SDB gas export lines (along with associated spools/structures for pigging, bypass and isolation, and control umbilical), a combined power and fibre optic cable (PFOC) from Sangachal Terminal to the SDC platform (and an interconnector PFOC from SDB to SDC platform).