Azerbaijan's GL Group begins drilling at onshore Kursangi and Garabaghly fields after 14-year pause

BAKU. April 4 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan's privately owned GL Group, engaged in the exploration and production of energetic resources, has begun a drilling program at the onshore contract fields of Kursangi and Garabaghly in Azerbaijan's Salyan District following a 14-year pause, the company reported.

"GL Group has launched a private drilling program that includes three new wells at the Kursangi and Garabaghly fields, as well as the first onshore horizontal well in Azerbaijan's history. This drilling program marks the end of a 14-year pause in drilling operations at Kursangi and Garabaghly," the company said.

The program is being implemented by a subsidiary of GL Group, Salyan Oil Limited. They plan to drill, through deep layers of ground, a 4,000-meter vertical well, a 5,000-meter vertical well and a 4,400-meter horizontal well featuring a horizontal section of 400 meters.

"To achieve these goals, GL Group has engaged leading local and international industry experts and established strategic partnerships with both domestic and globally recognized contractors," the company said.

The Azerbaijani Chamber of Accounts projected total oil and gas production at both Kursangi and Garabaghly fields in 2025 at 0.88 million barrels, versus a 2024 forecast of 0.89 million barrels.

GL Group operates five oil and gas fields in Azerbaijan, including Kursangi and Garabagly in the Salyan Region, as well as Buzovna-Mashtaga, Gala and Zira on the Absheron Peninsula. The group includes Salyan Oil Limited and Taghiyev Operating Company, as well as LLC GL Technical Services, which provides technical services in the oil and gas industry. Last year, GL Group acquired a 25% stake in Canada's Gazelle Energy Limited, license holder and operator of a gas field in Turkey.