Iran plans to boost oil output at joint field with Oman

TEHRAN,April 24(MNA) - Iran has prepared plans to increase output at its Hengam oilfield, which is shared by Oman in the Persian Gulf, up to 30,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the current calendar year, which began on March 20, said the managing director of the National Iranian Offshore Oilfields Company. “At present, some 22,000 barrels per day of oil is extracted by Iran from the field,” Mahmoud Zirakchianzadeh added. Some $450 million has been invested in the first phase of developing the oilfield, which is estimated to hold around 700 million barrels of in-situ oil and 666 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Last week, Zirakchianzadeh said that Iran had launched projects to develop four oilfields, located in Persian Gulf, and to raise the total output by 100,000 bpd this year. “Some $9 billion worth of contracts were signed last year to develop Salman, Lavan and Forouz B fields,” Zirakchianzadeh told the Mehr news agency. This year, boosting outputs at Reshadat, Forouzan, Hengam and Hendijan fields by 100,000 bpd has been planned, he added.