The National Iranian Drilling Company has drilled 62 oil and gas wells in the onshore and offshore oil-rich regions of the country in the current Iranian year’s first 10 months (March 2021-January 2022), a deputy manager at the company said.
“Of the wells operations completed during this period, four were development wells, four were exploratory wells and 54 wells were repaired,” ISNA also quoted Masoud Afshar as saying.
NIDC drilled wells in different areas, including Azadegan Oilfield in Khuzestan Province near the Iraqi border, South Pars, the world's largest gas field Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf, Gachsaran Oilfield in Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad Province and Naftshahr Oilfield in Kermanshah Province.
These operations were undertaken by the National Iranian South Oil Company, Petroleum Engineering and Development Company, Iranian Offshore Oil Company and Iranian Central Oil Fields Company.
The company also drilled an ultra-deep water well in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
“During the 10-month period, over 66,000 meters of wells were drilled in various parts of Iran,” he said.
“Currently, nine land drilling rigs of the company's fleet are operational in different regions.”
According to the official, NIDC, a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company, has drilled around 4,900 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells over the past four decades.
Handling nearly 70% of onshore drilling, NIDC has 75 drilling rigs – 68 of which are used in joint oilfields, namely Azar and South Pars. It is the main offshore and onshore contractor and provides 90% of drilling services to domestic companies.
The firm has allocated $23 million to upgrade drilling devices and equipment, including fluid pumps, chart recorders and generators.
NIDC draws on the capacity and potential of domestic firms in indigenizing parts and equipment for the key oil and gas sector.
The firm has indigenized the manufacture of over 6,000 drilling equipment, in collaboration with domestic engineers in the past few years.
Indigenized equipment includes blowout preventers, traction motors, draw-works, drilling fluid recycling systems, mission centrifugal pumps, top drives and slow circulation rate pressure systems.
Founded in 1979, NIDC’s services include well logging, cementing and acidizing, drill stem test, well testing, training and development, and general services. It also provides engineering, programming and industrial cleaning services to steam boilers, compressor suction and lube oil systems, water jackets, chillers and heat exchangers, as well as industrial cleaning services to oil and gas refineries.
The global oilfield equipment market is forecast to reach $144.4 billion by 2027, according to a report by Reports and Data.
Demand for oilfield equipment has been relatively high over the past decade because of increasing oil and gas extraction and other opertaions in oilfields globally.
Rising gas consumption is a significant factor driving demand for shale gas. Also, technological advancement in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enabled economic viability of shale gas production and accessibility to better and deeper shale gas deposits.
