Page 7 - MEOG Week 38 2021

MEOG PERFORMANCE MEOG

Iran keen to expand

output at shared fields

IRAN IRANIAN Oil Minister Javad Owji this week with the broader average crude recovery rate
visited the southern province of Khuzestan and across Iranian fields of roughly 24% and the
reiterated the country’s intent to further develop global rate of around 35%. Tehran believes that
shared oilfields along the border with Iraq. by increasing recovery across these fields they
Speaking to the state energy sector media can achieve 1.2mn bpd of combined output.
outlet Shana, Qassem Saedi, deputy head of Azadegan, which is home to around 32bn
the parliament’s Energy Committee, said that barrels of OIP across the Sarvak, Kazhdomi,
the visit “was aimed at reviewing the condition Godvan and Fahilan layers, is Iran’s largest oil-
of drilling rigs, the activities of the province’s field. The giant reservoir is shared with Iraq,
refining and petrochemical sectors, as well as where it is known Majnoon (Insane) on account
the quantitative and qualitative assessment of of its size.
production, development and operation at joint Despite its great potential and more than 170
oilfields.” wells having already been drilled on the south-
Khuzestan is home to the West Karoun clus- ern site alone, recovery factors across the asset
ter which includes several large oilfields that have slowed progress with primary recovery on
straddle the Iran-Iraq border, namely Azadegan, the Sarvak layer, which covers around 90% of the
Yaran, Yadavaran and Darkhoein, with the first field’s reserves, just 5.1% in the south and 4.5% in
three divided into north and south projects. The the north, according to NIOC. Secondary recov-
block holds an estimated 67bn barrels of oil in ery rates are around 10% and 2.5% respectively.
place (OIP). Research carried out by the University of
Speaking of Owji’s visit to West Karoun for a Tehran’s Institute of Petroleum Engineering in
tour of operations at Yadavaran, Saedi said: “The 2019 suggests that recovery rates from Azadegan
determination of the Oil Ministry in stepping could be increased by up to 10% through water
toward increasing production in joint fields is injection, gas injection and a combination of the
commendable.” Yadavaran is estimated to hold two.
30bn barrels of OIP, 35% of which is light oil in Combined reserves at North and South Yaran
the Fahlian layer. are estimated to be at least 2bn barrels of oil,
Oil production in West Karoun increased while Darkhoein has around 5bn barrels of OIP,
from 70,000 barrels per day in 2013 to the cur- 1.3bn of which are thought to be recoverable.
rent 420,000 bpd under the previous administra- Other fields in West Karoun include Sar-
tion of President Hassan Rouhani. vak (9.88bn barrels), Fahlian (2.33bn barrels),
Despite the massive reserves, the fields have Kajdomi (1.26bn barrels) and Gadovan (370mn
an average recovery rate of just 5-6%, compared barrels).™ Source: Nikkei Asia

Week 38 22•September•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7