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NIOC’s director of integrated planning, Karim Zobeidi, was quoted by Mehr News last week as saying that the selected company would proceed with the project under the integrated petroleum contract (IPC) model, which was introduced to replace the unpopular buyback contract in 2016.
He added that “Negotiations are also underway with domestic companies for the development of other fields such as Yaran and Sohrab.”
Zobeidi noted that IPC deals had been signed for projects to improve recovery from fields including Cheshmeh-Khosh, West and East Paydar, Sepehr and Jofair, adding that “with these contracts going operational the production capacity of the country’s oilfields will increase significantly.”
In January, Pars Oil and Gas Co. (POGC) managing director Mohammad Meshkinfam said that his company was in talks with several domestic oil and gas companies for the South Pars oil layer following the end of discussions with Denmark’s Maersk Oil.
Meshkinfam said at the time: “Since Maersk merged into Total, we stopped negotiations with the company due to the presence of Total on the Qatari side. At present, we are negotiating with some Iranian companies to develop the layers, with the negotiations being confidential,” he said.
NIOC has a target of producing 150,000 bpd from the currently producing reservoir.
9.2.2 ​Automotive corporate news
Largest Iranian carmaker Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) has announced that ex-deputy industries minister Farshad Moghimi has been appointed as its CEO, Mehr News Agency repoted on August 26.
Previous CEO Hesham Yekkeh Zare​ was arrested and fired​ ​from his position on August 19 after allegations of corruption were levelled against him. He vehemently denied the claims.
Moghimi, a stalwart of the Islamic Republic, is more likely to bend to the whims of the government, including diktats on pricing. He is also a board member of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organisation (IDRO). Previously, Moghimi was a deputy of the Small Industries Guild.
He is a graduate of the Iran University of Science and Technology while he is currently defending his PhD from Tehran Azad University in industrial engineering.
Abbas Aliabadi was announced as the upcoming new IKCO chief executive on August 20 but the 57-year-old Aliabadi, who previously headed the privately-owned MAPNA Group which works for engineering firms, turned down the job offer for unspecified reasons.
Former CEO Yekkeh Zare came to blows with lobby groups interested in keeping prices of cars down to save face with the depleting spending power of Iranians. His decision to ignore government proposals to keep a lid on prices and to instead increase them ultimately cost the long-serving company official his role and freedom.
Yeke Zareh’s arrest comes only a few weeks since he proudly presented​ ​the first locally assembled​ ​Peugeot 301 sedan.
The model produced by IKCO reportedly sources 60% of its parts from Iranian manufacturers, with the percentage expected to increase to 85% in the next few months.
Yekke Zareh said IKCO planned to begin mass production of the Peugeot 301 after the end of the current Iranian calendar year in March, adding that the company had directed €60mn worth of investment into the project.
In May, the Iranian-backed Azermash automaking joint venture in Azerbaijan
54​ IRAN Country Report​ October 2019 www.intellinews.com