Azeri gas output to rise, oil stable in 2012--SOCAR

BAKU Feb 2 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan plans to keep oil production at 45.45 million tonnes (about 910,000 barrels per day) in 2012, slightly up from 45.40 million tonnes produced in 2011 and to increase its gas output to 28.28 billion cubic metres (bcm) from 25.70 bcm a year ago, Khoshbakht Usifzade, a first vice-president with Azeri state energy company SOCAR, said.

Oil and condensate production in Azerbaijan in 2011 fell 10.7 percent year-on-year to 45.4 million tonnes from 50.8 million tonnes in 2010. Natural gas output fell 2.3 percent to 25.7 bcm from 26.3 bcm in 2010.

SOCAR officials said that decline was due to repair work on some drilling platforms and refineries.

Usifzade told Republica daily in an interview that 37.1 million tonnes of oil and condensate would be produced this year by the BP-led AIOC group, which operates Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli (ACG) oilfields in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea as well as the country's huge Shah Deniz gas field.

He said that 13.1 bcm of natural gas was expected to be produced at ACG, up from 11.7 bcm produced in 2011.

He added that 8.0 bcm of gas would be produced at Shah Deniz, up from 6.7 bcm in 2011, while SOCAR would produce 7.18 bcm of gas at old gas fields.

Usifzade put Azerbaijan's proven gas reserves at 2.55 trillion cubic metres (tcm), while total estimated gas reserves were at 3.45 tcm.

The country's proven oil reserves are at 2.0 billion tonnes, while total estimated reserves were 5.0 billion tonnes, he said. (Reporting by Lada Yevgrashina; writing by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi; editing by James Jukwey)