Study Underway To Increase Soroush Oil Field Output

Tehran, June 13, IRNA – Director of the Research and Technology Department at National Iranian Continental Shelf Oil Company (NICSOC), Jalal Moussavi, said here on Tuesday that output of Soroush oil field in the Persian Gulf will increase, using new technologies. Moussavi said laboratory activities for the purpose have already started. He said the research on ways of increasing ourput of nine other fields , including Nourouz, Abuzar, Salman and Balal has been conducted. Meanwhile, based on dispatches, the National Iranian Offshore Oil Company (NIOOC) is engaged in negotiations with a foreign oil company to increase oil production from Soroush oil field in the Persian Gulf waters. Mahmoud Zirakchianzade, NIOOC managing director said recently the foreign company is slated to invest in development of the field. Stating that Soroush oil field has been yielding 90,000 barrels of oil a day since 2004, Zirakchianzade noted that NIOOC was involved in talks with a foreign oil company to raise the field’s output by 40,000 barrels a day in the first phase. "A new exploratory well will be drilled in the Soroush oil field as soon as possible to get better information on the field’s reserves and to examine possible increase of oil production," NIOOC’s chief said. Referring to drafting of new master development plans of Soroush and Norouz oil fields in the Persian Gulf with the aim of raising production, Zirakchianzade said two local and foreign consultants are working on the plans. Soroush and Norouz oil fields respectively with 15 and 4 billion barrels of in place oil reserves are among the largest oil fields in western part of the Persian Gulf. The latest phase of development of the two oil fields was carried out by Shell Oil Company in 2000. Based on the studies of the company recoverable oil reserves of Soroush and Norous oil fields are estimated at 585 and 560 million barrels respectively. The main target of the new survey is examination of new techniques of enhancing oil recovery such as gas injection plus choosing the best technical methods of increasing the rate of recovery. Initial studies show that rate of recovery in Soroush oil fields could be increased considerably. Each one percent increase in recovery rate adds production of oil from the field by 100 million barrels with regard to 10 billion barrels of its in place oil reserves./end