The National Iranian Drilling Company has drilled 46 oil and gas wells in the onshore and offshore oil-rich regions of the country in the current Iranian year’s first eight months (March 21-Nov. 21), a deputy manager at the company said.
“Of the total wells completed during this period, four were development wells, four were exploratory wells and 38 wells were repaired as well,” the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana quoted Masoud Afshar as saying.
During the eight-month period, over 51,000 meters of wells were drilled in various parts of Iran, he said.
“Currently, nine land drilling rigs of the company's fleet are operating in different regions.”
According to the official, NIDC has drilled around 4,900 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells over the past four decades.
The company has a key role in drilling exploratory and development wells in Azadegan Oilfield in Khuzestan Province near the Iraqi border and in South Pars, the world's largest gas field Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf.
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.
The 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 managed to indigenize the knowledge for manufacturing over 6,000 drilling equipment, in collaboration with domestic manufacturers and 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 drilling rig slow circulation rate pressure systems.