Total has started exploratory drilling in Azerbaijan's Apsheron gas field in the Caspian Sea and expects final results early next year, a source at the Azerbaijan state oil and gas company (SOCAR) told Reuters.

SOCAR and Total signed a deal on exploration of the Apsheron field, with estimated reserves of 300 billion cubic metres (bcm), in February 2009. GDF Suez joined the project later.

The start of exploration was planned for September-October 2010 but was postponed due to delays in delivery of a drilling rig from the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea.

"The drilling at the Apsheron field has been started and will take about eight months," said the source, who did not want to be identified.

"If the drilling is successful, the final result will be known in the first quarter of 2012," he added.