“Of the total wells, four were development wells, two were appraisal and exploratory and the rest was repaired,” ISNA also quoted Masoud Afshar as saying.
The wells were drilled in oilfields managed by the National Iranian South Oil Company, Iranian Offshore Oil Company and Petroleum Engineering and Development Company in West Karoun that includes several large oilfields straddling the Iran-Iraq border, namely Azadegan, Yaran, Yadavaran and Darkhoein, with the first three divided into northern and southern projects.
The block holds an estimated 67 billion barrels of oil in place.
Oil extraction from the shared West Karoun block in southern Khuzestan Province has reached 420 barrels per day, showing a sixfold increase compared to 2013.
Afshar said NIDC has drilled 4,866 onshore and offshore oil and gas wells over the past four decades, of which 4,310 are onshore and 414 are in deep waters.
The company has a key role in drilling exploratory and development wells in Azadegan Oilfield in Khuzestan Province near the Iraqi border and in South Pars, the world's largest gas field Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf.
Handling nearly 70% of onshore drilling, NIDC has 75 drilling rigs – 68 of which are used in joint oilfields, namely Azar and South Pars. It is the main offshore and onshore contractor and provides 90% of drilling services to domestic companies.
According to the official, the firm has allocated $23 million to upgrade drilling devices and equipment.
“Over 220 devices will be upgraded, including fluid pumps, chart recorders and generators,” he added.
Funds will help provide services to relevant companies and reduce technical malfunctions.
Afshar said thanks to the skills and technical knowhow of NIDC engineers and their peers from private firms, several drilling devices and equipment were retooled and upgraded last year.
This is while engineers and technicians had to be sent to other countries for training in the past.