Reshadat Field Needs Cutting Edge Technology
Iran's petroleum industry has introduced about 50 oil and gas projects, worth $185 billion, hoping to sign agreements for them up to 2020.
One of these oil projects pertains to the development of the offshore Reshadat oil field. Reshadat is one of the most significant oil recovery enhancement projects in post-sanctions Iran. Development of Reshadat will lift its production ceiling.
Discovered in 1965, Reshadat which is located 110 kilometers southwest of Lavan is among Iran's offshore oil fields in the Persian Gulf.
The field primarily started production in 1969 after exploration drilling and installation of three platforms.
Reshadat is facing production problems due to pressure fall-off in the reservoir. The only way to resolve this problem would be to apply best-in-class technologies of enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
Geologically, Reshadat is composed of three oil layers – Shoayba, Arab and Mishrif. The bulk of oil is trapped in Shoayba. However, all the three layers are producing crude oil with high water and low gas content.
Light crude oil production started in Reshadat in 1968 after 33 wells were drilled and Reshadat 3, Reshadat 4 and Reshadat 7 platforms were installed.
The high-quality oil recovered from Reshadat, with an API gravity of 36, has international buyers. That can make the field attractive to potential foreign investors.
During the imposed war (1980-1988), Reshadat's platforms were targeted by missile attacks on many occasions.
The full reconstruction of Reshadat's installations marked the end of destruction left by Saddam's invasion in areas run by the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC).
Currently, two new processing platforms – P4 and Q4 – are being built in Sadra yard for the development of Reshadat. Furthermore, wellhead drilling platforms W0 and W4 have been installed and most wells have been drilled.
Development of Reshadat needs foreign capital and technology more than ever.
A total of 28 new wells have been drilled within the framework of development of Reshadat. Five of these wells have been drilled by using the processing installations of the old platform. New wells are being spudded.
Once all wells have been drilled and water has been injected into Reshadat, the output will grow significantly. However, completion of the project and production from the field will largely depend on financing and clarity on the conditions of Iranian contractors.
Reshadat was first developed by Italy's IMINICO. Currently, oil is being produced only by Platform R-4. The other platforms are non-operational now. Once new wells have been completed, R-4 will be also off the operation. Development of Reshadat started in the late 2000s for lifting its output by up to 75,000 b/d. To that end, the drilling of 30 wells, construction of a storage facility to hold half a million barrels of oil, as well as construction of an 185-km oil pipeline were put on the agenda.
Based on future plans, new drilling rigs are expected to be moved to the field's location for completing two wells with a view to raising the Reshadat production.
Operators have mobilized all capabilities at their disposal and offshore logistics, and reconstruction sections have made their best despite bad weather conditions to lay pipes, install separators and conduct necessary tests. Pre-commissioning operations have ended safely while oil and gas have been injected from an offshore pipeline into R-4 to reduce risks significantly.
Reshadat is being developed in five phases in order to reach the output of 78,000 b/d. The development project is under way in Lavan Island in the five phases of drilling, jacket installation, installations on platforms, pipeline and a storage facility.
In the Reshadat development plan, the drilling phase is behind all other phases. Once problems of this phase have been resolved, drilling and completion of wells will last two to two and a half years as two drilling rigs are planned to be operating there.