TotalEnergies and its partners have sanctioned full field development at the Absheron gas and condensate field, raising production capacity from 1.5 bcm per year to 6 bcm per year plus 47,000 bpd of condensate. First production from the expanded Caspian Sea project is expected in 2029.

The final investment decision brings together TotalEnergies as operator with a 35% stake, the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) with 35%, and XRG with 30%. The field sits roughly 100 km south-east of Baku and holds an estimated 140 bcm of recoverable gas reserves, according to the partners.

Gas from the expanded development will supply Azerbaijan's domestic market and export markets, with Turkey named as the destination through existing pipeline infrastructure linking Azerbaijan to European buyers.

Building on Phase 1

Absheron's initial development phase started production in 2023, pairing a single subsea well with a new gas processing platform tied back to SOCAR's facilities at Oil Rocks. That phase delivers 4 million cubic metres of gas per day and 12,000 bpd of condensate, all of it currently consumed within Azerbaijan.

The field's timeline stretches back more than a decade. Operators discovered Absheron in 2011, sanctioned the first development phase in 2018, and reached first gas five years later.

The full field development will drill four subsea wells and install a subsea pipeline equipped with advanced automation technology, according to TotalEnergies. Processing moves onshore: a new, fully electrified plant will handle the gas, a design choice the company says reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

TotalEnergies reports scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity for the project below 4 kg of CO2 equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent.

Pouyanné: low-cost, long-term supply

TotalEnergies chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné framed the project as both a commercial and strategic asset for the company's gas portfolio.

"We are pleased to announce the launch of Absheron Full Field development, a project that unlocks the full production potential of one of the Caspian Sea's largest gas discoveries," Pouyanné said.

"In line with TotalEnergies' strategy, Absheron Full Field Development is a low-cost and low-emissions project that will provide a long-term additional gas supply to the domestic and international markets, supporting regional energy security."

Azerbaijan is not new ground for the French major. TotalEnergies has operated in the country since 1996 and holds a minority interest in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude pipeline.

Second gas FID in short order

The Absheron sanction marks TotalEnergies' second gas development FID announced recently. The company and its Nigerian partner AMNI have also taken FID on the Ima gas field, an offshore development intended to feed a liquefaction plant serving the Nigeria LNG project.

Together, the two decisions extend the company's gas position on both edges of the supply corridor feeding European and Turkish markets.

The watch item now is execution: drilling and subsea installation scopes against the 2029 startup target, and the pace at which Absheron's incremental 4.5 bcm per year of capacity finds firm offtake in Turkey and beyond.