Meet the bp team: Building a platform of the future

Elnara Mammadbayova has built her career on doing things that don't yet have a playbook.

She was Azerbaijan's first female production supervisor, overseeing the safe operation of the Sangachal onshore terminal, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas processing terminals just south of Baku. She went on to become the first female production team leader and is now the operations installation manager on the Caspian’s first NUI (normally unattended installation) as part of the Shah Deniz Compression project.

“I like the challenge,” says Elnara. “It drives me.”

The Shah Deniz Compression project will deliver additional energy supply from the Shah Deniz gas field to European markets. Located 90 km southeast of Baku in the Caspian Sea, it will be operated remotely from a control centre onshore with visits by technicians expected no more than once a quarter. The facility will be electrically powered.

“We’re building something from scratch that needs to run itself smoothly. That’s extremely exciting,” says Elnara.

For Elnara, the challenge is making sure the platform, set to come online in 2029, performs efficiently, delivering gas safely and consistently.

Keeping energy moving

Elnara started her career as a project coordinator on humanitarian projects before moving to bp in 2007. She worked as a system handover management specialist and progressed to become a team leader before moving into the production organization at the Sangachal Terminal.

After holding multiple leadership roles, in 2024 she joined the Shah Deniz Compression project. Her current work is built on years of experience keeping energy flowing, and leading teams responsible for steady gas operations.

She is also part of a generation of Azerbaijani engineers who have grown with bp as it has helped develop the country’s oil and gas industry.

"From the early days of oil, we're now a gas powerhouse. bp’s investments in STEM and technology have played an important role here and have helped to make that possible," she says.

Elnara keeps this bigger picture in mind even through challenges.

"When you understand the scale – Azerbaijani gas now reaches up to 16 countries across Europe and the region – that’s what keeps you committed and motivated,” she says.