Baku, Azerbaijan, June 17
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has added four other Russian companies and Azerbaijan’s state oil firm SOCAR to the list of prequalified companies for Iran’s oil and gas upstream projects.
The four Russian companies include Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Tatneft and Zarubezhneft, according to the official website of the NIOC.
There are currently 34 foreign energy firms which have been approved to help Iran in development of its energy projects.
The list includes Total, Shell, Gazprom, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Inpex, South Korea’s KOGAS, Lukoil, Maersk, Japan Petroleum Exploration, Mitsui, OMV, Mitsubishi, Malaysia’s Petronas, CEPSA Spain, CNOOC International, CNPW, Norway’s DNO, Eni, Itochu, ONGC Videsh, Perenco, Pertamina, PGNiG, Plus Petrol, POSCO DAEWOO, PTTEP, Schlumberger, Sinopec International (SIPC), SOCAR, Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Tatneft, Zarubezhneft and Wintershall.
Reportedly the prequalified oil companies have been asked to provide details of their planned consortium partners by June 19, as part of NIOC's planned tender to develop Azadegan oilfield.
Last month Ali Kardor, the Islamic Republic’s deputy oil minister, said that Iran will send invitations for 29 international companies which approved a bid in the country’s oil and gas tenders to participate in a tender for developing the oilfield.
Tender for development of Azadegan oilfield, shared with Iraq, will be the first tender, based on newly designed oil and gas contracts, called Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC).
Iran introduced the legal generalities of IPC in November 2015, but the new contract model hasn’t been approved by the Supreme National Security Council yet.