TEHRAN (PIN) – National Iranian Central Oilfields Company (NICOC) Monday announced that 18 projects were ready to start work.

According to the company, the projects cost 12 trillion rials (1.2 billion dollars).
“The first phase of Parsian-No Refinery, the development plan of Homa, Varavi, and Shanol gas fields, and the 36- and 6-inch gas condensates transmission pipelines are also ready for inauguration,” added the NICOC.
The company’s managing director announced that the development plan of Tangeh Bijar gas field was partly implemented and the field started production with a daily 7 million cubic meter capacity per day.
Alireza Zeighami added that when Ilam Gas Refinery came on stream in the second phase, the capacity would rise to 10 million cubic meters daily.
He said five wells, Tangeh Bijar Central Facilities (TCF), and pipelines linking the wells to facilities were tested in the first phase and were ready for operation and the ISF was undergoing the last-stage test.
According to the official, power systems including UPS, MV, LV, and two power stations have been already put into operation.
Zeighami said the two 21- and 20-km-long lines that would transmit gas and gas liquids from the collection center to Ilam Refinery were undergoing last-stage test and would start work soon.
“Six wells work in the first phase of Tangeh Bijar gas field, three of which have been recently drilled and three have been repaired,” said the managing director, adding three more would be drilled for the second phase.
He added wellhead equipment would be installed and pipelines would be constructed in the second phase.
Zeighami said 1.65 trillion rials (178.3 million dollars) had been so far spent for clearing the venue of mines, designing, purchasing equipment, drilling wells, installing systems, and building pipelines, power transmission lines, and telecommunications lines.
“About 40 percent of equipment required for the development plan has been provided by domestic manufacturers, and the remaining part, due to high level of sourness of gas and lack of Iranian-made equipment, has been supplied by overseas producers,” said the NICOC head.
He added the value of his company’s products would reach 23 billion dollars by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2008).
Zeighami said the company would earn 23 billion dollars if a barrel of its oil were sold at 50 dollars and every 1,000 cubic meters of gas at 150 dollars.
The official made the remarks in the groundbreaking ceremony of Khesht oilfield development plan, vowing the NICOC would produce 330 million cubic meters of gas, 320 thousand barrels of crude oil, and 110 thousand barrels of gas condensates by the end of the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan, 2010.
He added the NICOC would produce 300 million cubic meters of gas, 200 thousand barrels of crude oil, and 100 thousand barrels of gas condensates by March 20, 2008.
According to its articles of association, the company was active in 14 provinces, said Zeighami, adding NICOC’s oil and gas operations bore fruit in 10 provinces.
The company is duty-bound to exploit 60 fields, said the managing director and added NICOC was currently exploiting 26 fields and the figure would soar to 32 by the end of Fourth Plan and to 83 fields by the end of 20-year Outlook Plan.
Shifting to the development plan of Khesht oilfield, he predicted it would become operational by early 2009 and would yield 30 thousand barrels of oil per day.
Zeighami said 18 contracts were signed on the development of southern oilfield.
He added engineering operations, seismographic and three-dimensional (3-D) measurements, supervision on seismographic operations, geophysical processing, civil operations, and drilling were some parts of measures included at the 18 contracts, which were valued at over 467 billion rials (50.5 million dollars) and some 66 million dollars and would last 26 months.
The executive operations of Khesht oilfield development plan kicked off in an area between Kazerun and Borazjan, central province of Fars.
Khesht’s in place oil is 1.53 billion barrels, of which 270 million is derivable.
Tangeh Bijar gas field is located 70 km southwest of Ilam and the province of Ilam will be supplied with natural gas when the field is fully developed and becomes operational