The drilling of 26 oil wells was completed by the National Iranian Drilling Company in the first quarter of the current Iranian year (March 21-June 21), NIDC’s deputy for drilling operations said.
“The operations were carried out with the aim of increasing production,” Masoud Afshar was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news service Shana.
Referring to the length of drilling projects, he said more than 22,000 meters of wells were drilled during the three-month period.
In related news, director of production supervision of the National Iranian Oil Company said the country has 133 drilling rigs, of which 114 are onshore and 19 rigs are offshore.
“Of the total offshore drilling rigs, 102 are active and 12 are inactive, which are being renovated,” Hormoz Qalavand added.
“We have 19 offshore rigs, of which 12 are operating and the rest are inactive,” he added.
The official stated that the onshore and offshore drilling rigs are operating in 36 oilfields.
NIDC’s operations witnessed a 65% rise in 2022 compared to a year ago. The company drilled 8,000 meters of oil and gas wells nationwide in 2021, yet it increased to 13,000 meters in 2022.
NIDC drilled and repaired 28 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells in 2021, which increased to 38 in 2022.
An NIOC subsidiary, NIDC undertakes both offshore and onshore drilling and provides the entire range of drilling services needed by domestic oil and gas companies.
Effective Steps
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 as it 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 to gather geophysical data to discover new reserves in the Persian Gulf.
Close to $100 million were spent on two- and three-dimensional seismic surveys last year, 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.
A 2D seismic survey is an exploration method used to create a map of the structures beneath Earth’s surface. The method transmits energy waves into the Earth and the different rock formations reflect the waves back to the surface, where they are recorded over a period of time and converted into a seismic image.
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.
