in place contains high-quality gas."
Pazan which is 65 kilometers north of Assaluyeh located 170 kilometers south of Shiraz in Fars Province was discovered in 2015. Technical experts at NIOC Exploration Directorate believe that drilling a single well in the northwestern section of this field and other horizons will significantly boost the field's total deposits. That is why an extension well is planned to be spudded.
The second field referred to by Hendi was Khartanak which holds 164.4 tcf of gas in place plus 261 million barrels of gas condensate.
Drilling in Khartanak field ended in 2013. This field is situated 120 kilometers east of Bushehr in southern Iran and 60 kilometers east of Khour Mowj. Given the magnitude of this field, more extension wells are likely to be drilled in this field in the future.
Hendi also mentioned Charak as the third gas field discovered under the Rouhani administration.
He said the field held 17.38 tcf of gas in place and 174 million barrels of condensate in place.
Geologically speaking, Charak is located in Fars Province, but according to administrative division it belongs to Hormuzgan Province. Among the advantages of this field are its situation in the vicinity of sea and north of Charak Port.
The fourth field described by Hendi was Yadman which holds 2.8 billion barrels of oil in place.
Yadman is a border reservoir located in Abadan Plain. Located 65 kilometers west of the oil-rich city of Ahvaz, Yadman is a stratigraphic trap.
The fifth one was South Sepehr oil field with 2.2 billion barrels of oil in place. Discovered in 2015in Abadan Plain, it is located 65 kilometers from Ahvaz. Like Yadman, it is also in the group of stratigraphic traps.
Of course, Farzad A, Sepand, Yadavaran, Sepehr, Sohrab, Dehloran, Azadegan, Soumar, Delavaran, Mehr, Saman, Bistoun and Khosro are among reservoirs whose deposits are known to have increased, leading to a jump in the country's oil and gas reserve estimates.
40 Offshore/Onshore Wells
Hendi also talked about exploration plans under Iran's 6th Five-Year Plan, saying: "It has been decided that during this plan, 35 onshore wells and five offshore wells be drilled in the Persian Gulf."
He added that over the same period 7,000 square kilometers would undergo 2D seismic test and 6,000 square kilometers would be put to 3D seismic test.
The NIOC Exploration Directorate currently owns 6 onshore and 1 offshore drilling rigs.
Hendi said that the Directorate of Exploration had promised the discovery of 30 billion barrels of oil in place as well as 70 tcf of gas during the Sixth Development Plan.
Exploration Priorities
NIOC Exploration Directorate used to fulfil its obligations based on its assignments. But pursuant to an instruction by Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh, this Directorate carries out its activities based on projects. In other words, the place of exploration and the category of exploration are prioritized over the volume of oil and gas exploration.
To that effect, Hendi said: "Exploration drillings in five sedimentary areas of Iran are among priorities of the Directorate of Exploration."
He named prioritized areas as Persian Gulf with priority given to oil exploration, Abadan Plain with priority given to oil exploration in the southern section, Kopeh Dagh for gas exploration in northeastern Iran and North Dezful and South Dezful with focus on gas exploration for injection into oil fields as well as jointly owned hydrocarbon fields in western Iran.
"Of course this prioritization does not mean sidelining basic exploration activities in other areas in the country. Rather, it means that exploration well drilling will be focused on in the aforesaid areas," said Hendi.
80% Progress in Shale Gas Discovery
Hendi also referred to projects pertaining to unconventional oil and gas reserves, saying: "Currently, activities in this sector are limited to study and identification. Identification of shale oil deposits in Kavir Kouh and Qali Kouh are over, gas hydrate identification in the Sea of Oman is set to enter its second phase soon, while gas shale identification project is 80% complete."
He said that the contract for the second phase of studying gas hydrates of the Sea of Oman is to be signed soon.
Gas hydrate resources are found in the sea sediments and at a depth of more than 2,000 meters. The first phase of this project yielded good results about the existence of gas hydrates in the sea.
"In light of estimates on the volume of gas hydrates in the Sea of Oman, drilling one well in Oman's deep waters in coming years could help increase information about resources existing in this region," said Hendi.
Iran has conducted various activities with regard to shale oil and gas identification in the western province of Lorestan and it has reached hopeful results. However, studies have been the only activity to have been done with regard to unconventional resources.
Hendi said shale oil extraction costs too much, adding: "Under the current circumstances, this issue is not economically justified."
Regarding exploration potential in northern Iran, he said: "It is more likely to find hydrocarbon resources in northeast towards Gorgan and Koppeh Dagh plains than in other northern regions. Furthermore, given the existence of known oil reserves in Moghan area, development activities for this region must top the agenda in the future."
Cooperation with Int'l Firms
The activities of NIOC Directorate of Exploration also include joint studies with universities and international companies. In certain cases, the companies have shown willingness to conduct studies on their own on certain areas of Iran in a bid to know about the geology of Iran. Hendi said memorandums of understanding had been signed between the NIOC Directorate of Exploration and foreign companies for such activities.
He cited Austria's OMV, Russia's Lukoil, University of Barcelona and Italy's Naples University as parties to agreements.
"Recently we have held talks with a European company and Malaysia's Petronas. We will soon start two joint studies in cooperation with these companies about analysis of sedimentary areas and oil systems," said Hendi.
He said among joint studies to be carried out between NIOC Directorate of Exploration and international universities and companies include two studies that would examine reservoirs located near salt domes.
Hendi said a new approach pursued by NIOC Exploration Directorate was to study stratigraphic traps, adding: "We have taken into consideration the issue of risk analysis in all sectors and we are determined to have close cooperation with operating companies."