Baku, Azerbaijan, May 1
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has drilled about 356,290 meters of oil and gas wells by its drilling fleet during the 12-month period to March 20.
The company has completed drilling operations of 188 offshore and onshore oil and gas wells in the period, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported May 1.
The drilling includes 303,543 meters of development operations as well as 28,242 repair operations.
The main drilling operations in the 12-month period were launched within the operational area of the National Iranian South Oilfields Company (NISOC).
The NISOC shared 114 of the drilled wells, followed by Iranian Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (37 wells).
Currently, NIDC owns 74 light, heavy and ultra-heavy onshore and offshore drilling rigs which are operational under the supervision of National Iranian South Oil Company, Iranian Offshore Oil Company, Petroleum Engineering and Development Company, and Pars Oil and Gas Company.
Some 44 drilling rigs of the total rigs owned by the NIDC were used in development operations, 24 in repair and three in exploration operations during the one-year period.
The NIDC also drilled about 37,000 meters of oil and gas wells from March 20 to May 1. The company drilled almost 19 offshore and onshore oil and gas wells in the period.
By holding 157.8 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil reserves, Iran possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of crude oil. The Islamic Republic also holds 34 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, sharing 18.2 percent of total global gas reserves, which puts the country in the top of the world's gas holders list.