Oil production in flood-hit Khuzestan Province in the southwest is back to normal, the managing director of National Iranian South Oil Company said Sunday.
“Only a few wells remain closed because floodwaters damaged roads leading to oil wells, and the deluge has created problems for some pipelines,” IRNA quoted Ahmad Mohammadi as saying.
Iran’s worst flooding in 70 years, which started in mid- March and lasted for a month, killed 80 people, forced more than 220,000 into emergency shelters and caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage to roads, bridges, homes and farmland.
The floods caused the most destruction in the northern, western and southwestern parts of the country.
All oil installations in the Hoor al-Azim wetlands, a vast wetland that hosts oilfields shared by Iran and Iraq, were encircled by floodwater.
Oilfields owned jointly by Iran and Iraq, including South Azadegan, North Azadegan, Yadavaran, North Yaran and South Yaran, are located near the Hawizeh Marshes, which straddles the border between the two neighbors and is known to locals as Hoor al-Azim.
Several wells in the giant Azadegan Oilfield near the Iraqi border were inundated due to the proximity to the west of Karoun River. Around 30 oil wells “were shut as a precautionary measure to prevent environmental damage,” Mohammadi noted.
Iran produces 350,000 barrels per day from West Karoun oilfields. The block holds an estimated 67 billion barrels of oil in place. However, the floods caused a reduction in output and the oil production dropped between 15,000 to 20,000 barrels per day.
“Water has now subsided in most areas, and production from most of the closed wells has resumed,” the official said, adding that repairs are underway to resume production from other wells.
