123 WellsDrilled in11 MonthsMohammad Al-e Khamis, asenior official at National IranianDrilling Company (NIDC), said123 wells had been drilled in
onshore and offshore oil-richareas during the first elevenmonths of the current calendaryear. “Over this period of time,123 wells were completed thanksto round-the-clock efforts byNIDC logistics and operationstaff,” he said. Al-e Khamis addedthat the drilled wells included57 development/appraisal wellsand 66 workover wells. He said88 wells were drilled in theareas run by National Iranian
South Oil Company (NISOC),ight wells in the areas run bythe Iran Offshore Oil Company(IOOC), two wells in the areasrun by the Iran Central OilFields Company (ICOFC),14 wells in the areas run bythe Petroleum Engineering
and Development Company(PEDEC) and 11 wells withinthe framework of drilling andcompletion projects. He saidthe drilling project for eightwells had been approved bythe Exploration Directorate ofNational Iranian Oil Company.
“Drilling of two wells is underway in compliance with the predeterminedplan and a heavyonshore drilling rig is expectedto be moved to the locationenvisaged for a third explorationwell,” said Al-e Khamis.24 Border Oil/Gas FieldsDiscovered in 40 YearsA performance report drawn up bythe Exploration Directorate of NationalIranian Oil Company (NIOC) indicatesthat exploration has always been ahead ofschedule. Currently, 45% of oil discoveriesand 77% of gas discoveries are yet toundergo development. After the 1979 IslamicRevolution, a total of 73 oil and gas fields– including 36 oil fields and 37 gas fields– were discovered, 24 of which has beenshared with neighboring nations. Duringthis time, 3 new layers have been discoveredin the previously discovered fields. Bydrilling extension wells, the volume of eightreservoir layers has increased over ths time.Also after the Islamic Revolution, more than161 billion barrels of crude oil as well as 67
billion barrels of gas condensate have beendiscovered. Add to this more than 999 tcf ofgas and more than 87 tcf of condensate.Gas Network
Management PrivatizedCEO of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC)
Hassan Montazer Torbati has announced theprivatization of the gas network managementsystem in Iran. “Within the framework ofclean and safe energy supply management, wehave to upgrade our upgrading rules so thatin the near future, operation of refineries andpipelines, as well as distribution of gas in the
cities would be hived off to the private sector,”he said. Noting that NIGC was determined toconnect 3,000 villages to natural gas per year,Montazer Torbati said: “The villages to whichgas may be supplied would be connected tothe national gas grid within three years.”The official also said that the sweet gasproduction at gas refineries in Iran totaled800 mcm/d, which is equivalent to 5 millionbarrels of crude oil in thermal value.“We have currently about 37,000 kilometersof high-pressure pipelines in the country,Local Firm Produces47bcm Gas
South Zagros Oil and Gas ProductionCompany (SZOGPC) supplied a total of 47
bcm of gas during the first 11 months ofthe current calendar year, CEO of SZOGPCHamid Izadi said. He added that the companyalso produced 15.2 million barrels of gascondensate and 1.9 million barrels of oilover the same period. “In order to meet theoil and gas production target set for the nextcalendar year, particularly during the finalfour months, it would be necessary to makeeight wells operational,” said Izadi. He alsosaid SZOGPC would envisage drilling 12 wells
and installing wellhead equipment and layingline pipes over the coming five years. Giventhe fall-off in the natural pressure, as well asthe flow pressure of the Kangan, Naar, Varaviand Homa fields and in view of the necessityof Maximum Efficient Recovery (MER) andlaunching gas compressor stations,
Self-Sufficiency in Gas
Stations EquipmentCEO of Center for Gas Station Studies andPlanning Ali Maneshi has said that 90% ofthe equipment used in the fuel stations has
been manufactured domestically.He also said that Iran may even export such
equipment to neighboring countries.Maneshi said there are currently about 7,000
fuel stations in Iran, creating a lucrative labormarket for related industries. He said 70professions were related to the fuel stations,adding that investment opportunities in thisindustry start from the construction of fuelstation to the supply of different equipment.Maneshi said more than 75% of fuel stations
are more than 35 years old, requiringrenovation, reparation and replacement
of equipment. “Some equipment at fuelstations is fitted with simple technology andnot much investment is needed. That spursinvestment in this industry,” he said