TEHRAN National Iranian Oil Company's Director of Exploration Department Seyed Mahmoud Mohaddes announced that over 125 billion dollar oil and gas resources have been discovered in the country in the past three years.
Talking to reporters yesterday, he said in the past three years 5.3 billion barrels of oil and gas liquids and 28.7 trillion cubic foot gas were discovered in the country.
He said following discovery of this amount of oil and gas, the National Iranian Oil Company ranked first in 1999 in terms of success in discovery of oil and gas resources among the foreign companies and countries active in this area.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Mohaddes said here Monday that value of the oil and gas reserves discovered in Iran over the past three years stands at over $125 billion at market prices.
Mohaddes told reporters that over the past three years 5.340 billion barrels of oil and liquefied gas and 28.7 trillion cubic feet of gas were discovered.
23 trillion cubic feet of discovered gas reserves are sweet gas, he added.
Following discovery of the gas and oil reserves, the NIOC could take the lead among foreign companies and countries involved in discovery of oil and gas reserves in 1999, said Mohaddes.
He said over the past three years 10 wells were drilled. In 1997, drilling operations for two wells in Bibi-Hakimeh (Kohkilouyeh-Boyerahmad Province) and Golmahak (Khuzestan Province) fields were completed, he added.
A total of 9,690 meters were drilled in 1997, he continued.
Mohaddes said a considerable amount of gas and liquefied gas exist in Bibi-Hakimeh oil field to the effect that for every one million cubic feet of gas there are 110 barrels of liquefied gas.
He said drilling operations for two wells in Gardan (Fars Province) gas field and Darkhoein (Khuzestan Province) oil field were completed in 1998. Gardan gas field is estimated to have three trillion cubic feet of gas, he added.
The official said that in 1998, 12,750 meters were drilled for exploratory purposes.
The figure showed a 13 percent growth compared to 1997, according to Mohaddes.
1999 marks a brilliant record in the history of exploration management operations, with exploratory activities being conducted on six fields in Kivarkaram (Khuzestan Province), Changuleh (Ilam Province), Shanol (Fars Province), Azadegan (Khuzestan Province), Zireh (Fars Province) and Tabnak (Fars Province), he said.
Mohaddes said that 16,380 meters were drilled last year in search for oil. The figure shows a 28 percent rise compared to the previous year, he added.
He said exploration of Azadegan oil field with 26 billion barrels of oil reserves and of Tabnak gas field with 15.5 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves were the most important achievements of the exploration management sector last year.
For the first time ever, seismological operations will be launched at the depth of 1,000 meters in the Oman Sea, said the official.
The exploration management sector aims to give the priority to exploration of oil fields in the Third Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2000-2005), said Mohaddes, adding that presently five rigs are operational in oil fields and one rig in gas fields.
He said all Iranian oil and gas fields would be identified and drilling operations will be launched accordingly.