Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 30
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has drilled about 268,786 meters of oil and gas wells by its drilling fleet during the 9-month period to Dec 22.
The company has completed drilling operations of 136 offshore and onshore oil and gas wells in the period, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported Dec. 30.
The drilling includes 69 development operations as well as 65 repair operations. The main drilling operations in the nine-month period were launched within the operational area of the National Iranian South Oilfields Company (NISOC).
The NISOC shared 79 of the drilled wells, followed by Iranian Central Oilfields Company (11 wells) and Iranian Offshore Oil Company 14 wells.
The NIDC also drilled 28 wells for Petroleum Engineering and Development Company and two wells for National Iranian Oil Company's Exploration Directorate.
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.
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.
Iran's current oil production is estimated to be around 2.8 million barrels per day of which about one million barrels are exported.