TEHRAN – Head of National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) said the company has launched a project for composting oil well drill cuttings in order to manage drilling wastes, Shana reported.

According to Ahmad Mohammadi, this new method which is 50 percent less costly in comparison to older approaches like “Zero Discharge” is being executed completely by Iranian experts.

“This method is significantly more efficient in removing contaminants and accelerating the cleaning of contaminated soils,” Mohammadi said in the ceremony for launching the project.

The official noted that since the past 10 years, National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has equipped seven of its drilling machines with Zero Discharge technology in order to use them in fields with high environmental priorities. 

“By using these drilling equipment in the oil-rich areas in the south, more than 100 wells have been excavated without any pollution in urban or protected areas,” he added.

Mentioning the fact that this method has been implemented experimentally, Mohammadi expressed hope that in the near future it would be used in digging operations in other environmentally sensitive regions.

In December 2018, Mohammadi had said that NISOC will start implementation of at least 14 mega projects on oil fields during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22, 2019).

Making the remarks on the sidelines of a specialized session on preserving and boosting production from the 28 oil fields under development by NISOC, Mohammadi also announced that 8-10 new contract packages are being finalized in line with the technical and operating objectives of the company and also creating jobs in the region.

EF/MA