TEHRAN – The managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) announced that initial agreements have been made with Italy’s Eni SpA to implement the third phase of Darkhovin oilfield development project.

Seifollah Jashnsaz made the remark on the sidelines of the 7th annual gathering of the NIOC’s research and technology managers in Tehran on Monday.
The contract will take effect once it is ratified by the board of directors of the NIOC, he noted, PIN reported.
Asked about the two-year delay in inaugurating phase two of the Darkhovin project, he said that the setback was due to a holdup in the importation of some parts required by the project.
Darkhovin, a field in southwest Iran near the Iraqi border, is being developed by Italy’s oil and gas group Eni for Iran’s Arvandan Oil and Gas Company, a subsidiary of the NIOC. Eni signed a $550 million deal with Iran’s state oil company in 2001 to develop the field. It brought the first phase on line in 2005 and is now active in the second phase. Currently, phase two of Darkhovin oilfield produces some 100,000 barrels of oil per day which will be boosted to 160,000 bpd upon finishing the development plan.