NIOC, PEDCO Sign MOU
National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Petroiran Development Company (PEDEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding for technical cooperation.
The MOU themed development of business environment at the national and international levels, was signed by Abdollah Mousavi, CEO of NIDC, and Sepehr Sepehri, CEO of PEDCO.
During the signing ceremony, Mousavi said NIDC was responsible for 70% of Iran’s drilling industry.
“NIDC is determined to use the remaining 30% capacity in the best possible manner according to a principled plan,” he added.
Mousavi said: “Signing MOUs and agreements with private companies will let NIDC use untapped capacities under conditions of sanctions, while holding a strategic view of the petroleum industry.”
“NIDC’s current priority is to make plans for using the untapped 30% capacity of this company. In the next step we would seek an effective and active international presence for exporting drilling engineering services,” he added.
Sepehri said the objective behind this MOU was to develop a business environment at the national and international levels.
He added: “Joint cooperation between PEDCO as an active E&P company and NIDC is aimed at developing fields. We hope to broaden bilateral cooperation in order to expand our international activities, too.”
4-230 Manufacturers Cooperating with NIDC
The CEO of National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has said that the company is cooperating with 230 Iranian manufacturers of petroleum industry equipment.
Abdollah Mousavi highlighted NIDC’s role in oil and gas production from hydrocarbon reservoirs, describing the firm as a national asset.
“Working in the strategic drilling industry is technically sophisticated and the studious staff of this company have been working under tough geographical and climate conditions including hot and cold weather, in offshore and onshore fields to meet petroleum industry needs and be effective in national economy,” he said.
Mousavi said NIDC owned 72 offshore and onshore drilling rigs, which made the company a drilling hub in the region.
He said NIDC was determined to realize plans drawn up by National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) by benefiting from domestic capabilities and relying on the experience of Iranian experts, regardless of restrictions.
Mousavi said that NIDC’s cooperation with domestic manufacturing companies, which are mainly based in oil-rich Khuzestan Province, was the manufacturing of a significant number of largely used equipment in the drilling systems, as well as technical and engineering equipment.
He touched on NIDC’s recent success in upgrading key equipment in the drilling equipment, singling out reconstruction of jacking system in Shahid Modarres offshore drilling system by using domestic expertise and potentiality.
Noting that a bright horizon was awaiting NIDC, Mousavi said the company would strive for maintaining its 65% share of the drilling market, involvement in field-oriented projects, operating drilling rigs and cooperation with private drilling firms.
5-PSEEZ Ready to Win Toehold in World Markets
Pirouz Mousavi, CEO of Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), has said this zone was endowed with numerous potentialities to step into global markets and generate hard currency for Iran under conditions of sanctions.
He said that gas recovery from the giant offshore South Pars gas field had reached 660 mcm/d, supplying 70% of Iran's gas needs.
Mousavi said: "The existence of giant gas and petrochemical industries, as well as key export ports has transformed this zone into the brilliant gem of Islamic Iran's economy.
"In the near future, our focus will be further on investment in downstream petrochemical industry with one main objective being generation of value-added and preventing sales of raw materials," he said.
6-1.4mn Barrels Saved at Karoun Co.
Using mobile oil treater (MOT) over recent years has saved something like 1.4 million barrels of crude oil in the areas run by Karoun Oil and Gas Production Company (KOGPC), the company's chief said.
Gholam-Reza Mofidi, CEO of KOGPC, said it was a measure undertaken by this company for maximum efficient recovery, honoring social responsibility and safeguarding the environment.
He said that new flares made in Iran were helpful in the optimal consumption of associated petroleum gas. He added that 90% of gas fed into flares was gathered while the remaining 10% was to be supplied to petrochemical plants. For that purpose, he said, about $1 billion would be spent on gathering associated gas within three years.
Mofidi also touched on the development of 28 reservoirs owned by National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), saying: "Four packages from NISOC would become operational at KOGPC and 4% of credit allocated to these projects would be spent on social responsibility projects."
Referring to other activities of this company in the social responsibility sector, he referred to the allocation of IRR 60 billion for urban water supply projects, construction of 21 schools and mosques.
He said that KOGPC had spent IRR 1,240 billion on purchasing Iranian-made commodities, 92% of which had been spent in Khuzestan Province.
7-North Yaran Output Rises
The official in charge of North Yaran field development in Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC) has announced the installation of an electrical submersible pump (ESP) in Well No. 4 of this jointly owned field.
Mohammad-Ali Ajdari said: "By installing and operating this pump, 1,000 b/d was added to this field's output."
He said that following the completion of wellhead installations, the downhole pump installed in Well No. 4 became fully operational.
Adjari said that the pump had been installed at the depth of 2,300 meters in the liner hanger, adding that the pump had been placed in stable conditions.
He said the outer diameter of this pump is 4 inches and the pump itself is about 17 meters long.
He added that the pump would serve as a suitable criterion for enhanced and improved oil recovery methods in the Sarvak reservoir of West Karoun fields.
Touraj Dehqani, CEO of PEDEC, had already given a positive assessment of the performance of the pump.
The North Yaran oil field started production at the rate of 30,000 b/d in November 2016, but it experienced a drop after some time. It was when ESP pumps were considered to be installed there to lift its output.
The first ESP was installed in 2018, but it did not function properly. The second ESP seems to be working as planned.
8-Waste Management System at Petchem Plants
The HSE director of National Petrochemical Company (NPC) has said waste management system has been installed in all petrochemical companies.
"This system has been installed in a bid to move towards reducing waste, boosting recovery and managing wastes," Davoud Emadi said.
Noting that environmental protection was a key factor in the petrochemical industry, he said: "Fortunately, petrochemical plants and projects have taken significant measures over recent years."
He said the petrochemical industry's move towards green and low-carbon industry was a key strategy in all its activities.
He added: "Implementing greenhouse gas emission reduction projects is under way in petrochemical companies. The Kermanshah, Razi, Maroun and Shiraz petrochemical plants have had significant achievements in this regard."
Emadi said the Hemmat petrochemical project was under way in Assaluyeh in order to gather greenhouse gases and convert them into high-value products.
He said a waste management system had been installed in all petrochemical companies, adding that the system was aimed at moving towards lower waste production, higher recovery and principled waste management.
Emadi said Bandar Imam Petrochemical Plant had established landfill facilities with 300,000-tonne capacity.
"Efforts will be made for waste management in the best possible manner with minimum harm to the environment," he added.
He said in petrochemical industry development, environmental aspects will be alongside technical and economic issues.
"Last calendar year, in order to make sure about the proper implementation of petrochemical projects, the environmental aspects and impacts of 20 projects were put to expert study," said Emadi.
9-JCPOA Must Facilitate Iran Oil Sales
Iran's deputy foreign affairs minister Abbas Araqchi has said Iran expects the 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers to facilitate its oil exports.
"It is up to Europe to meet Iran's demand for selling its oil. They have to provide us with formulas for that purpose, in which case we can continue to comply with the JCPOA," he said, using the acronym for Iran's nuclear deal.
"We have told the Europeans that either they have to buy oil or they should provide us with credit if they can't, and buy our oil in advance," said Araqchi, who was one of senior nuclear negotiators during the 2015 deal.
Araqchi also said that Iran was in talks with the European signatories to the nuclear agreement.
"We have no talks with the Americans. No country will accept to talk under pressure," he said.
Araqchi said the US had to return to the JCPOA for the talks to go ahead within the framework of the P5+1 group of world powers.
"As long as the sanctions are in place, no talks will get under way," he said.
10-Zarif: We Want to Sell Oil and Be Paid
Iran's foreign affairs minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic's position on selling oil and getting its money.
Zarif told Tages-Anzeiger newspaper in an interview: "Europe supports the JCPOA only in words, but we want to be able to sell our oil and receive money in return."
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the official term referring to the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers.
He said that Iran would overturn its recent instances of non-compliance with the JCPOA only in the case Europeans respect their obligations.
Asked about his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Zarif said the JCPOA required Iran to convince the world about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program while obligating the international community, particularly the signatories of the deal, to guarantee normalization of Iran's economic ties with the entire world.
Zarif said Iran had remained compliant with the JCPOA terms even after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal last year.
The Iranian minister said that some mechanisms in the JCPOA made clear that if one party does not honor its obligations what the opposite party can do.
"We have used these mechanisms. However, as soon as the Europeans begin honoring their obligations, we will overturn the steps we have taken," he said.
Zarif said Europe should keep its promise about investment, civilian aircraft, transportation and European companies resuming activity in Iran.
Zarif said Iran would further stop its JCPOA obligations, should the Europeans fail to comply with their obligations.
11-Rouhani: We Export Gasoline and Gasoil
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said the country has become an exporter of gasoline and gasoil.
"Last year we could not export gasoil, but today we are exporting gasoil and gasoline. We are exporting gas to various countries," he said.
Citing economic, cultural and social indicators, Rouhani said that the situation in Iran had improved this year from last year.
"People are feeling calmer and economic stability has grown. Inflation data, increased non-oil exports, and stock market growth prove that our conditions have improved this year compared with last year," he added.
Rouhani said despite tough sanctions imposed on Iran following the US's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, 11 dams, 30 wastewater treatment stations and 6 water treatment stations had become operational in Iran, while several thousand megawatts had been added to Iran's power generation.
"Today, oil, gas and petroleum product exports to neighboring countries have hit all-time highs," he said.
Rouhani also said international waterways had to remain safe for everyone.
"The Americans say they would guarantee the Strait of Hormuz security in case they want to pass oil through. But we say international waterways should remain safe for all," he said.
He added: "Iran guarantees security in the region, the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. In case you revise your attitude and stop your aggressive approach, the region is ready to guarantee security."
Rouhani said the US government had chosen a wrong approach vis-à-vis Iran, which would harm itself, European and Asian nations as well as US allies.
"Assume that we export 1,000 barrels of oil less than before. How will it benefit you? You will only become more hated among regional and Muslim nations. You will block the way towards future. You'll gain nothing," he said.
Rouhani said the US withdrawal fromJCPOA in 2018 was in violation of international law and amounted to "economic terrorism".