TEHRAN- The managing director National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) referred to the influential role of this company in the country's oil and gas production process, and said one of the important priorities in the current Iranian calendar year 1402 (began on March 21) should be the renovation of the drilling rigs.

Making the remarks in the first meeting of the company in the new year, Hamidreza Golpayegani also mentioned the increase in productivity by 20 percent in 1401 compared to the previous year.

Due to the increase in productivity, it is possible to predict the continuation of more achievements for the country's drilling industry in the field of oil and gas, the official underlined.

Also, in line with the realization of the slogan of the year (Inflation Control, Production Growth), special attention should be paid to the operations, technical services, engineering and support departments, and all the capacities of expert human resources and facilities should be used optimally, he further noted.

As announced by Masoud Afshar, the deputy head of NIDC for drilling operation, the company dug and completed the digging operation of 99 oil and gas wells during the past Iranian calendar year.

According to Afshar, the drilled wells consisted of 15 development, five exploratory, and 79 workover ones.

He said that 77 of the mentioned wells were drilled in the operational zone of the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), eight wells were drilled in the fields under the supervision of the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), eight in the fields under the operation of the Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), two wells in the framework of project, and four in the operational zone of the drilling management department of National Iranian Oil company (NIOC).

Over 67,000 meters of drilling were conducted for drilling the mentioned wells, the official announced, and noted, “Comprehensive planning has been done to speed up the drilling operations and it is expected that with the reconstruction and modernization of the drilling machines and equipment, in the current year we will see the use of more drilling machines of the company in the oil-rich areas of the country.”

Stating that 63 of the 73 light, heavy and extra heavy drilling rigs in the company's fleet are in operation or being moved, he put the number of rigs being moved at 20.

The NIDC managing director has declared the company’s infrastructure improvement in line with the programs of the Oil Ministry as the most important achievement of NIDC in the past year.

Speaking at the company’s annual board meeting, Golpayegani said NIDC’s performance in various operational, technical, engineering, support, services, and headquarters departments has been significant and improved in the previous year compared to the preceding two years.

“According to the statistics of our planning department, the productivity index [of the company] reached 62 percent past year, while this figure was 48 percent in 1400,” the official said.

Pointing to the company’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, he stated: “Although the past year's performance in all sectors shows growth and an upward trend, we should not be satisfied and try to get the company to an even better position this year.”

As previously announced by the official, NIDC had dug and completed digging operation of 75 oil and gas wells in the Iranian calendar year 1400.

According to Golpayegani, the drilled wells consisted of six development, five exploratory, and 64 workover ones.

He stated that 56 of the mentioned wells were drilled in the operational zone of the National Iranian South Oil Company, 10 wells were drilled in the fields under the supervision of the Iranian Offshore Oil Company, three in the fields under the operation of Petroleum Engineering and Development Company, one in the field under the supervisor of Iranian Central Oil Fields Company, three wells in the framework of project, and two in the operational zone of the drilling management department of National Iranian Oil company.

MA