TEHRAN (Iran News) –The CEO of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) says Iran is ready to have drilling operation in the Arash gas field as the country is ahead of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in planning.

The Arash gas field or Durra gas field is a natural gas field located on the maritime borders of Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. It was discovered in 1967. It began production in 2013 and produces natural gas and condensates.

Speaking on the sidelines of the first conference and exhibition of technology management of knowledge-based products in Iran’s oil industry in Tehran, Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr said that although Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed a MoU for developing Arash gas field, Iran is ahead of them in planning for oil and gas production and the company has required approval and allocated resources for starting the drilling operation in this field.

He also announced the company’s plan to increase the country’s gas production capacity by 500 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) by 2029.

“Our dear people should know that the employees of the oil industry are in the true sense of the word doing jihadi work to bring prosperity, comfort and warmth to them,” said Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr.

He also touched on the pressure boosting plan of South Pars Gas Field: “Design, engineering and implementation of pressure boosting for sour gas is a new issue in the world and even the neighboring countries, like us, is in the first stage, that is, design.”

Stating that the NIOC has important plans for increasing pressure of the South Pars joint gas field, he added: “Conceptual and basic engineering studies for implementation of the pressure boosting project are in the form of a pilot, and the conceptual and basic studies have already been completed and the design of the turbo compressor to compress gas has progressed 70%.”

The deputy oil minister pointed out that in parallel with the implementation of this pilot, the basic engineering work of all phases of South Pars for different hubs is being done, and God willing, these studies will be completed by the beginning of the next Iranian calendar year to March 2023.

Khojasteh-Mehr further announced that gas from Phase 11 of South Pars was to come online in the near future as it is regarded as NIOC’s top priority.

He noted that the company is keen to use capacities of the knowledge-based companies provided that it leads to rise in production and enhancing the production output.