The 2025 IADC Drilling Caspian Conference & Exhibition was held 6-7 February in Baku, Azerbaijan. This event brought together industry leaders to explore the latest innovations and challenges in drilling across the Caspian region. Passionate professionals gathered to exchange ideas and foster collaboration to drive our industry forward.
IADC gladly sponsored 27 local students from a variety of higher education institutions around the region to attend the Conference. Empowering the next generation of leaders isn’t just about giving them a seat at the table; it’s also about actively inviting them into the conversation.
Drilling Contractor Interviews from the 2025 IADC Drilling Caspian Conference
Since opening its first office in Azerbaijan in 1992, BP has invested approximately $85 billion in the Caspian region. Major projects like Deepwater Gunashli, West Azeri, Chirag and West Chirag all exemplify the operator’s achievements here, on top of other technical milestones like Shah Deniz 2, Caspian’s first subsea development; the ACG platforms, the biggest structures in the Caspian; and the drilling of a 7,300-m well in Shah Deniz, the Caspian’s deepest exploration well.
In this video from the 2025 IADC Drilling Caspian Conference, Russell Morrice, BP’s VP Wells AGT, talks about the challenges that BP overcame in order to achieve first oil from the $6 billion Azeri Central East (ACE) platform last year. Mr Morrice also talks about BP’s work to advance technology in the Caspian, as well as its efforts to fulfill social responsibilities.
The Caspian region is full of opportunities for the oil and gas industry, said Artem Stopnevich, Head of Caspian and Central Asia for Rystad Energy, in a video with DC at the 2025 IADC Drilling Caspian Conference. These opportunities may not be the mega projects of the past, but they do put a call on drilling rigs and the supply chain.
In the video, Mr Stopnevich also explains why there may be a call for a new round of rig building to support deepwater drilling growth, as well as the possible effects that the new Trump Administration in the US could have on global oil markets.
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, exhibited, sponsored, and organized this conference!
