The managing director of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) and the deputy managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on conducting studies related to the development of three oilfields across the country.

The MOU was signed on the third day of the 22nd Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition (Iran Oil Show 2017) in Tehran regarding the development of Soosangerd, Cheshmeh Khosh, and Paidar Gharb oilfields, according to IDRO News.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Mansour Moazzami, the managing director of IDRO, said that BARJAM (the Persian acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the nuclear deal) is a unique opportunity for the national economic growth. “We hope that domestic companies would take advantage of this opportunity and utilize their capabilities to form partnerships with large international companies and take giant strides in this regard,” he explained.

He added that if the political environment inside the country had allowed the government to implement the new model of development plan for the oil industry one a half years ago, the plan would have certainly created lots of job opportunities in the country so far.

The IDRO chairman, who also serves as the deputy minister of industry, mining, and trade, appreciated oil minister Eng. Zanganeh, and the National Iranian Oil Company, for transferring such projects to Iranian companies, saying, “Signing development study agreements of oilfields with domestic and foreign companies is the result of their big decisions and I hope that many of the agreements will take effect.”

He emphasized that IDRO has nearly found its foreign partner for implementing the project and will certainly do the work which will realize objectives set by the National Iranian Oil Company.

Moazzami went on to say that signing such agreements will provide the opportunity to benefit from technology and investment. Removing the problem of unemployment will be possible just through making investment. “We hope that in the next year’s edition of the exhibition, we would present a report of the project’s good progress,” he noted.

The chairman of the board of directors of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran criticized those who just hurl brickbats during election campaigns instead of supporting and appreciating, saying that the election time will pass. “Everyone should just think about the goal of national progress.”

The chairman of the board of directors of IDRO referred to the inauguration of 6 phases of the South Pars gas field and the Persian Gulf Star refinery by the incumbent government, saying: “We believe in implementing such projects for realizing the goal of resistance economy.”

The deputy managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company for development and engineering affairs, for his part, touched upon the good track record and history of IDRO in carrying out megaprojects such as oil projects including phases 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 17, 18 of the South Pars gas field, saying that IDRO is among the 11 eligible companies and this is the first agreement signed by this group of companies.

Gholamreza Manouchehri referred to the possibility of increasing the country’s oil production capacity by three million barrels per day, adding that 24 agreements on studying oilfield development plans have been signed so far with national and international companies.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the deputy managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company for development and engineering affairs said that based on the research agreements, the National Iranian Oil Company will receive 75 research proposals and the lion’s share of the studies will focus on increasing recovery rate.

Manouchehri pointed out that by signing and implementing the oil contracts, a new wave of work and activity will start in the oil sector. As the oil minister mentioned, by taking into account the probable signing of deals worth $80 billion over the next 2 years, a job market valued around $50 billion will be created for domestic companies and contractors and the use of Iranian expertise will be increased gradually more than the past.

“We should grow to the extent that acquire oil and gas technologies and we should not be confined to be just a seller,” he concluded.

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