TEHRAN - National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) dug and completed the digging operations of 42 oil and gas wells during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22), an official with the company said.

According to Masoud Afshar, the deputy head of NIDC for drilling operations, three of the drilled wells were development and the rest were workover ones, Shana reported.

The official stated that during the mentioned time span NIDC managed to dig eight wells more than the figure for the previous year’s same period.

As reported, 35 of the drilled wells were in the operational zone of the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), one well was drilled in the fields under the supervision of the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), three were in the fields under the operation of Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), and three wells were dug in fields developed by private contractors.

According to the official, currently, 63 of the company’s rigs are active and 10 are being overhauled.

Over 43,416 meters of drilling were conducted for digging the mentioned wells, the official said, noting: “We are trying to play our role optimally by using the company’s maximum operational capacities in order to realize the Oil Ministry's plans to increase production.”

Considering the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)’s strategies for strengthening the presence of domestic companies in the development of the country’s oil fields, NIDC, as a major NIOC subsidiary, has been supporting such companies by lending them drilling rigs and other necessary equipment.

NIDC dug and completed the digging operations of 36 oil and gas wells during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22), Afshar said in late July.

EF/MA