The National Iranian Drilling Company has drilled and repaired 30 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells since the beginning of the current fiscal year in March, up 25% compared to a year ago, the company’s deputy managing director for drilling affairs said.
"With the help of three offshore and 69 onshore rigs, NIDC, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, has drilled 30,000 meters of oil and gas wells nationwide in the 100-day period," Hamidreza Golpayegani was quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news portal.
Of the total, five were development and exploratory wells and 25 underwent repairs.
"The wells were drilled in oilfields managed by the National Iranian South Oil Company, the Iranian Offshore Oil Company and the Petroleum Engineering and Development Company in the West Karun oil block that includes several large oilfields straddling the Iran-Iraq border, namely Yaran, Yadavaran and Darkhoein," he said.
NIDC undertakes both offshore and onshore drilling and provides almost the entire drilling services needed by domestic oil and gas companies.
Golpayegani expressed NIDC’s readiness for providing technical support and consultation, and sharing its offshore and onshore drilling experience with international players in the oil and gas sector.
NIDC has taken effective steps to secure a foothold in foreign markets. The company can cooperate with Caspian Sea littoral states, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, in drilling ventures.
He said NIDC has the technology to carry out drilling in deep waters and has a regional record for drilling operations at a depth of over 1,000 meters. The firm has emerged as one of the largest drilling companies in Southwest Asia.
According to Seyyed Saleh Hendi, the head of NIOC's Exploration Department, there are 184 hydrocarbon fields in Iran, consisting of 380 reserves, of which 171 are being developed and 209 have not been tapped.
"In-place crude and gas condensate reserves are estimated at 228 billion barrels, most of which were discovered in the last four decades," Hendi said.
Proven gas reserves are close to 33 trillion cubic meters, making Iran home to one of the world’s biggest natural gas reserves.
