TEHRAN - National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)’s Exploration Directorate signed deals with two major universities for geological studies of the potential oil reserves in the west and northwestern Iran (Azarbaijan Province), Shana reported.

A deal with Sahand University of Technology was signed by NIOC's Discovery Director Saleh Hendi and Ahmadreza Mostafa Qarebaqi the head of Sahand University, while the other deal was signed by Hendi and the Head of Tabriz University Mir-Reza Majidi on Thursday.

According to NIOC’s Exploration Directorate, Azarbaijan is geologically located in the northwestern part of the central sedimentary basin of Iran, and despite its vast extent, the region’s geological and hydrocarbon potentials are not well explored.

Back in August, NIOC announced that the company had introduced 10 major oil and gas exploration projects in the company’s Exploration Directorate.

The agreements included a project for quantitative interpretation (QI) of Abadan plain’s seismic cube, research studies on Lorestan Province’s shale oil resources and geochemical study of some hydrocarbon reservoirs in southern Iran as well as a project for producing 10,000 barrels of a High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) drilling fluid.

Considering the challenges of exploring hydrocarbon resources, NIOC’s Exploration Directorate has identified various research projects and created a roadmap based on the country’s sixth five-year national development plan (2016-2021) and in line with its organizational strategies.

Operational exploration activities in the oil and gas industry require structural studies and up-to-date technologies in the field of geology and exploration.

In this regard, so far NIOC’s Exploration Directorate has signed several agreements with Iranian universities and knowledge-based companies for research in various fields of geophysics, geochemistry, unconventional hydrocarbon resources and drilling.

Since the re-imposition of sanctions, Iran has been encouraging domestic companies’ presence in its oil and gas projects, both in exploration and in development sectors. 

In the exploration sector, as there are many blocks waiting for exploration, NIOC is seriously following up on the plans to lay the ground for the private sector’s contribution.

EF/MA