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Iran developing age-old oilfield for ‘sustainable’ production
The age-old Solabdar oilfield is located in the southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province.
Drilling began in Solabdar in 1925 with wells 1 and 2, but the oil wells turned out to be “uneconomical” and were quickly abandoned, Shana News Agency reported.
It was not until 1972 that the field’s oil potential was proven with the drilling of well 3. Well 4 came along in 1979 as part of the field’s development plan, and between 1994 and 2002, two workovers were carried out, but production never took off due to the “complexities” of the well’s underlying reservoir.
“Developing this oilfield was risky due to its complex geology,” said Karim Hamid, the head of the NISOC’s Reservoir Operation Engineering Department.
“Drilling for well 5 in 1995 was also inconclusive due to structural uncertainties and the well had to be put on hold,” Hamid added.
Despite difficulties, Solabdar’s well 4 went under another workover which led to the production of 1,000 barrels per day (bpd) on a test run in 2020.
Hamid hailed crude oil extraction from the well as a “turning point” for the Solabdar field’s development.
The results from well 4’s repair reduced the reservoir risks, giving the go-ahead for further development, including digging new wells. Well 6 was drilled in 2022, and now it is churning out 1,000 bpd, raising the field’s total daily output to 2,000 barrels.
“Well 6’s productivity is a testament to the successful planning for the Solabdar field’s development,” Hamid pointed out.
The drilling of Solabdar well 7, which started last year in the field’s western section, is now in its final stages.
The NISOC official said “sustainable production” from the Solabdar field would be achieved after the remaining two wells are drilled and processing facilities are installed.