AnewZ Morning Brief - 12 December, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 12th of December, covering the latest developments you need to...
bp, SOCAR and TPAO today signed several agreements enabling TPAO to join the production sharing agreement (PSA) for the Shafag-Asiman offshore block in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.
The official signing of the agreements took place today on the sidelines of Baku Energy Week.
The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2025. Once finalized, TPAO will own a total 30% participating interest in the PSA—15% transferred from bp and 15% from SOCAR. Currently, bp and SOCAR each hold a 50% participating interest in the PSA.
bp will remain the operator of the PSA during the exploration period.
“We are pleased to welcome TPAO into the Shafag-Asiman partnership. This strategic collaboration underscores the importance of regional partnerships in advancing the evaluation and potential development of Azerbaijan’s offshore resources. Together with bp and TPAO, we aim to accelerate the appraisal process, ultimately enhancing energy security and bringing added value to all stakeholders involved,” - stated Rovshan Najaf, president of SOCAR.
The block lies some 125 kilometres to the south-east of Baku and is located in water depths of 650-800 metres. The block is 60km from Shah Deniz and 145km from the Sangachal terminal.
The deal aims to accelerate further evaluation of the block to help identify the most suitable option to progress the project.
"To that end, additional evaluation activities will be carried out, including the drilling of a well into the Lower Surakhany reservoir. To allow for these activities, the exploration period under the PSA will be extended,"- said bp in its statement
Gary Jones, bp’s regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, said this collaboration would bring additional technical and financial capabilities to accelerate exploration and appraisal activities on this structure.
"By joining the Shafag-Asiman partnership alongside SOCAR and bp, Türkiye Petrolleri reaffirms its commitment to building a secure, diversified and sustainable energy future for our nations and beyond. This collaboration brings together SOCAR’s deep local expertise, bp’s advanced technology, and TPAO’s offshore experience. Together, we aim to unlock the full potential of this promising structure in the Caspian Sea," - stated Ahmet Türkoğlu, chairman and CEO of TPAO.
He added that this partnership will create high-value employment and reinforce the Southern Gas Corridor—contributing to regional stability, energy security, and long-term economic growth.
Exploration activities in the block carried out to date include the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of a 3D seismic survey and the drilling of one exploration well (SAX01), completed in 2021. The SAX01 well was drilled to the base of the Fasila reservoir, reaching a depth of 7,189 metres, and confirmed the presence of gas condensate resources in the penetrated reservoirs. The well was then suspended to allow for further evaluation and planning of subsequent activities.
A powerful magnitude 6.7 earthquake has struck northern Japan, triggering tsunami warnings and forcing thousands of residents to flee to higher ground.
In a dramatic Champions League clash at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Qarabağ grabbed an early lead, but Ajax staged a thrilling comeback to win 4-2.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their tensions through dialogue and engagement, as it pledged to work with the international community to help improve relations between the two countries.
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50% to 3.75% following its two-day policy meeting, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday, 10 December.
China has carried out a major test of a new “super wireless” rail convoy, a technology that could reshape the future of heavy-haul transport.
Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O) has launched a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O). The escalation follows a high-stakes battle that had appeared to end last week when Netflix secured a $72 billion deal for the studio giant’s assets.
U.S. industrial production rose by 0.1% in September, rebounding after a decline in August, while capacity utilisation remained unchanged, according to Federal Reserve data on Wednesday.
Google’s YouTube has announced a “disappointing update” for millions of Australian users and creators, confirming it will comply with the country’s world-first ban on social media access for under-16s by locking affected users out of their accounts within days.
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