TEHRAN – The project manager for the development of the Azar oil field has announced the successful completion of the commissioning and operational launch of the field’s gas facilities.

According to the Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), Keyvan Yarahmadi stated on Saturday that the commissioning and startup process, which began in early February, was successfully completed. He noted that associated gas from the shared field, after undergoing three stages of pressure boosting and dehydration, was injected into the newly constructed pipeline on March 2 at a rate of 15 million cubic feet per day and a pressure of 25 bar.

He explained that the pressure boosting process was carried out gradually and in phases, ultimately reaching the end of the project’s 130-kilometer pipeline at the Dehloran associated gas collection facility on March 6. With this achievement, the final remaining task in the first phase of the Azar field’s development has been completed, bringing the project’s physical progress to 100 percent.

The successful completion of Azar field’s first development phase has paved the way for negotiations and the signing of a contract for the second phase with Sarvak Azar Engineering and Development Company (SAED). Yarahmadi expressed hope that, through divine blessings and effective collaboration among project stakeholders, the planned targets and production forecasts for this shared field would be realized.

He stressed that this accomplishment represents not only a significant step toward the sustainable development of Iran’s oil and gas industry but also a testament to the capabilities of domestic experts in executing complex projects under challenging conditions.

The Azar oil field is located in the Anaran exploration block in Ilam Province, along the Iran-Iraq border. Approximately one-third of the field’s reserves lie within Iran, with the remainder in Iraq. It is considered one of the most geologically complex and challenging fields in the region.

The development plan included drilling 19 wells, along with the design and construction of surface facilities, separation units, and transmission pipelines. The project’s ultimate goal was to produce 65,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with an early production target of 30,000 barrels per day. This early production was achieved in March 2017 through the continuous efforts of SAED, a subsidiary of the Oil Industries’ Engineering and Construction (OIEC) group. The full development of the field was officially inaugurated in March 2021 in a ceremony attended by Iran’s then-president.

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