The National Iranian Drilling Company’s operations witnessed a 65% rise in 2022 compared to a year ago, a deputy manager at the company said.
“NIDC, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, drilled 8,000 meters of oil and gas wells nationwide in 2021, yet it increased to 13,000 meters in 2022, up 63%,” Peyman Shoushtarizadeh was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news portal.
NIDC drilled and repaired 28 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells in 2021. Nonetheless, the figure increased to 38 in 2022, he added.
The company undertakes both offshore and onshore drilling and provides almost the entire drilling services needed by domestic oil and gas companies.
He 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.
“Seismic and geophysical operations in joint oil and gas fields in border regions have gained impetus and NIOC’s next priority is gathering geophysical data to discover new reserves in the Persian Gulf,” Mehdi Fakour, the head of NIOC’s Exploration Department, said.
Giving a breakdown, the official noted that the number of drilled onshore and offshore oil and gas wells has experienced 100% growth and the length of drilled wells increased by 36% during the five years.
According to the official, close to $100 million have been spent on two- and three-dimensional seismic surveys since last March, covering 20,000 kilometers in 11 provinces, up fourfold compared to a year ago.
The company needs $1.4 billion to expand its activities and conduct 2D and 3D seismic surveys on 100,000 kilometers of surface areas over the next seven years, the official added.
A 2D seismic survey is an exploration method used to create a map of the structures beneath Earth’s surface. The method sends energy waves into the Earth. The different rock formations then reflect the waves back to the surface, where they are recorded over a period of time and converted into a seismic image.
Fakour noted that local engineers have indigenized seismic survey knowhow and talks are underway with neighbors, including Iraq, Oman, Tajikistan and Russia, to transfer expertise and carry out seismic surveys.
According to the official, the process of discovering a new hydrocarbon reserve takes at least seven years, collection of geophysical data requires five years and the rest is spent on seismic surveys and drilling operations.
