Tehran, Iran, May 20
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
The development plan of Iran's North Azadegan oil field is expected to be completed in summer of next year (July 2015).
Keramat Behbahani, North Azadegan oil field's project manager, said that once the project comes on stream some 75,000 barrels would be added to the country's total oil production capacity, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported on May 20.
"The project is currently 66 percent complete," he said, adding that 47 out of the projected 58 wells have been drilled in the project so far.
"The drilling operation of the remaining wells will be finished in November," he said.
Behbahani also said that Iraq has started production at the field, explaining that the real figure of Baghdad's output is said to be around 130,000-135,000 barrels per day.
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Ali Majedi said on May 6 that the country has no plan to expel the Chinese contractor of North Azadegan oil field.
Ali Majedi said that considering the volume of work that has been done in the project, the oil ministry doesn't plan to change the field's contractor.
"The oil ministry has issued a warning to the contractor to increase the speed of development plan" the deputy oil minister added.
The managing director of Iran's Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), Abdolreza Haji Hosseinnejad, said on May 3 that Iran will take action against delays in development of its joint oil and gas fields based on the signed contracts.
"Besides taking legal action against the contractors, we will not sign any other contact with them," he explained.
He went on to note that contractor of North Azedgan field has requested for some extra time to develop the field as soon as possible.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has ordered the ministry officials to officially expel China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) from South Azadegan oilfield's development project.
The oil minister had previously issued a 90 day ultimatum to the Chinese firm, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on April 29.
On February 18, Iran issued an ultimatum to CNPC over its continuous delays in developing the South Azadegan oilfield.
CNPC had been awarded with developing North Pars oilfield, Yadavaran joint oilfield, North and South Azadegan fields, and the phase 11 of the South Pars gas field. Due to its repeated delays, the company has been expelled from the South Pars and the North Pars projects, and they are on the verge of being expelled from the South Azadegan project.
The oilfield is projected to produce 320,000 barrels of oil per day.