Caspian players plot oil revival

Gas has made most of the recent running, but major producers like Azerbaijan are focusing on boosting crude oil production too

Giant natural gas developments such as Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz have captured the headlines, but the Caspian region's crude oil producers are also ramping up activity as they seek to stem declines in maturing basins. Those plans hit an expected hitch late last year, as two majors, ExxonMobil and Chevron, signalled their intention to pull out of the BP-led Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) oilfield development off Azerbaijan, amid indications that costs had increased. The ACG field produced 584,000bl/d on average last year and the prospect of the loss of the two US players on Azerbaijan's main production basin has prompted speculation that expansion ambitions for the field — where output is expected