TEHRAN – With the successful implementation of two new wells at the South Azadegan oil field, which Iran shares with its neighbor Iraq, the field’s production capacity has increased by 2,500 barrels per day (bpd).

In December 2023, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) head announced the drilling of 60 new wells in the South Azadegan oil field to boost production capacity.

Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr said the South Azadegan field's production capacity has seen a significant increase with the addition of 60 new wells over the past year, reaching a current production level of 120,000 bpd.

He pointed out that development plans have been finalized for all of the country’s joint fields, and programs are underway to sign a contract to develop two additional joint fields by March 20.

In July 2020, a consortium of Iranian companies including Petropars signed a deal with NIOC to raise Azadegan field’s output capacity to 320,000 bpd from 140,000 bpd within 30 months.

South Azadegan oilfield is located 80 kilometers west of Ahvaz (the capital city of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province), near the Iraqi border.

The oil reserves in this field are estimated to be around 25.34 billion barrels, and the recoverable oil is estimated to be around 1.7 billion barrels, taking into account the recovery factor of 6.6 percent.

The development process of the South Azadegan oilfield is done in the form of two development phases, and according to the targeting, the production in this field is supposed to reach 600,000 bpd.

South Azadegan is one of the five major oilfields Iran shares with Iraq in the western part of Iran’s Karoun region, known as West Karoun fields.

West Karoun holds great importance for the country’s oil industry because, according to the latest studies, its in-situ deposit is estimated to be 67 billion barrels containing both light and heavy crude oils, and therefore it could have a big impact on Iran’s oil output increases in the future.

Having an estimated 67 billion barrels of in-situ oil, West Karoun fields definitely deserve the spotlight that has been put on them recently.

Through taking some major steps, such as the supply of the main equipment, the development process of South Azadegan oilfield has been accelerated over the past year.

EF/MA