According to him, although West Karoon witnessed a slight decline in oil output due to several flash floods in spring this year, more than 300,000 barrels of oil is currently being recovered from the joint oilfields of the region and plans are under way to increase oil production in the play.

Dehghani also touched on the latest progress in Goreh-Jask Oil Pipeline, saying that the pipeline would carry crude oil through three provinces in southern Iran: Bushehr, Fars and Hormuzgan with $2 billion of investment. The project entails laying 1,000 km of pipeline, construction of an export terminal and the required compressors, installing measuring equipment, storage facilities, etc.

Some of the goals targeted in construction of the pipeline include: daily transfer of one million barrels of light and heavy crude oil from southern fields of the country to southeastern coasts, storage and export through the new export terminal in Jask Port, ensuring continuation of crude oil export, decentralization of export terminals and diversification, providing feedstock to refineries in Makran Coasts, and developing downstream projects in southeastern regions of the country.

Dehghani said the capabilities of domestic manufacturers were tapped in the project which was made possible due to the US sanctions on Iran for buying the required pipes from foreign suppliers.

He also expressed optimism that the pipeline would come online by March 2021.

Power Generation in West Karoon

"Uninterrupted production of oil in the West Karoon region depends on the continuous and reliable supply of electricity, which is why construction of the West Karoon Power Plant is of particular importance," he said, stating that the first phase of Karoon Power Plant is on the verge of exploitation. According to the plan, within the next two months, electricity supply for Yadavaran and West Karoon Pump House would be ensured.

ESP Pumps in North Yaran

The official further said that an electrical submersible pump (ESP) had been installed in North Yaran Oilfield in line with a project to maintain productivity of the joint field.

According to PEDEC, the pump is installed at the 2,300-meter depth inside a 7-inch pipe lining.

North Yaran development project is under way for 30,000 b/d production capacity. The production goal was reached back in 2016 but output declined after a while and ESPs were needed to ensure productivity of the field. The first ESP was installed in the field in July 2019.

Cooperation with Tehran University

The PEDEC CEO further added that his company had started cooperating with the University of Tehran for carrying out studies on technological development of Azadegan Oilfield.

He also said plans were under way to enhance the production capacity of Yadavaran Field within the next few months, adding maximum efficient recovery in the field is considered in the production enhancement project.