TEHRAN – National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), signed deals to lend 16 drilling rigs to five domestic companies that are working on development projects of the country’s oilfields, Shana reported.

According to Reza Dehqan, the National Iranian Oil Company's deputy director for development and engineering affairs, the mentioned deals were signed with Global Petrotech Kish Company, Petro Iran Development Company, Pasargad Energy Development Company, Qeshm Oil and Energy Industries, and Petrotenco Company.

The drilling rigs will be used in the development projects of Zilaei, Mansourabad, Siahmakan, Ahvaz 1, and 4, as well as Maroun 5 and 12 oil fields, Dehqan said.

Back in August, Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) and the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) signed 13 deals worth €1.527 billion with domestic companies to add 185,000 barrels per day to the country’s oil production capacity.

NISOC is the employer for 11 of the mentioned contracts, which will be implemented in the five provinces of Khuzestan, Fars, Kohgiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad, Bushehr, and Hormozgan, while the other two were signed by IOOC.

Accordingly, two contracts for the development of Zilaei as well as Chalingar and Garangan projects were signed with Global Petrotech Kish Company; Ramin project was awarded to Persia Oil and Gas Industry Development Company, while Mansourabad project was handed over to Petro Iran Development Company, the Siahmakan project to Pasargad Energy Development Company, Maroun 2, 5 and 6 projects to Petrotenco, Maroun 1 and 4 projects to North Drilling Company (Sina Energy Gostar Holding), Maroun 3 project to the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOECC).

Balaroud project was signed jointly with the National Iranian Drilling Company and Jahanpars Engineering and Construction Company, Ahvaz 1, and 4 projects jointly with Qeshm Oil and Energy Industries and Maroun Karan.

The contract for Resalat Project of IOOC was signed jointly with the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company and the Intelligent Solutions Inc., and the Forouzan project was also signed jointly with Petropars and Mobin Sazeh Gostar.

Since the re-imposition of the U.S. sanctions, the Iranian Oil Ministry has been following a new strategy to encourage the country’s private sector to have a stronger role in the development of the country’s oil industry.

In this regard, NIOC has awarded several exploration and development projects to capable domestic companies in the past two years.

EF/MA