Petropars ups South Azadegan output by over 63,000 bpd in 17 months
Iran’s Petropars Group CEO Hamidreza Saqafi announced on Tuesday that the company has increased crude oil production at the South Azadegan field by more than 63,000 barrels per day over the past 17 months through a series of technical and operational measures.
"This production increase resulted from drilling, completion and rehabilitation of wells, acidizing operations, and resumption of the downhole pump lifting process after a two-year hiatus in work package execution," Saqafi said, as reported by IRNA.
During the period, crews completed 4,180 meters of new well drilling and 1,626 meters of workover well drilling. One new well was drilled and completed, while two suspended workover wells underwent drilling, suspension removal and completion.
Regarding well stimulation, "acidizing and production enhancement operations on 22 wells were implemented to improve flow rates and reservoir performance," Saqafi added.
He highlighted the restart of downhole pump operations after a two-year suspension, noting that "over the past 17 months, 38 downhole pumps along with all associated surface equipment were designed, manufactured, tested and delivered by three domestic manufacturers."
Saqafi attributed the results to coordinated efforts by Petropars specialists supporting national economic objectives. "The outcome has been production of 1,100 barrels per day from wells number 51 and 96 on pad number 14, and 1,800 barrels per day from wells number 184 and 192 on pad number 9, collectively contributing to the record production increase of more than 63,000 barrels per day at this field," he said.
The Azadegan field ranks among the region's largest oil reservoirs and is shared with Iraq. After years of suspended operations, development responsibilities transferred to Petropars Group in 2019. International companies currently operate the Iraqi section of the field, known as Majnoon.
According to the National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC), Iran is expected to raise its crude output by 135,000 barrels per day (bpd) through the installation rapid-deployment modular projects — known as “skid-mounted” units under newly signed service contracts.
The NIOC head, Hamid Bovard, said on Wednesday, “Given the signing of two contracts — one for crude oil processing services at oil fields and another for supplying onshore drilling rigs — we have scheduled the installation of 11 skid-mounted units.”
Iran does not release detailed crude export figures, citing US sanctions that it says require confidentiality. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show Iran has significantly increased oil production over the past year despite continued sanctions aimed at curbing its output and exports. According to the IEA, Iran’s oil production reached 3.5 million barrels per day in November, unchanged from October but up 110,000 bpd from December 2024 levels.