Farokh Alikhani, the Executive Affairs Manager and Integrated Planning Director of the National Iranian Oil Company, referred to the importance of exploration in the value chain of this company and stated that exploration is the starting point of this chain and has a significant responsibility in supplying the hydrocarbon resources needed by the country.
Identification of Gas Reserves in Pazan and Takht Fields
Alikhani mentioned the identification of gas reserves in the "Pazan" and "Takht" fields as examples of successful exploratory activities and emphasized that achieving a total of approximately 17 trillion and 500 billion cubic feet of gas reserves in these two fields, despite difficult economic conditions, sanctions, and global tensions, demonstrates the capabilities of oil industry personnel in managing exploration.
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He considered achieving a top rank in discovering gas and gas condensate reserves as a valuable achievement and stated that this success is not the result of a single entity's efforts; domestic and foreign contractors and various sectors of the oil industry have played a role in realizing it.
The Necessity of Setting Exploration Priorities
Alikhani, referring to the necessity of setting exploration priorities based on engineering, geological, and geophysical studies, stated that one of the main priorities for continuing and monitoring exploratory activities in the Zagros region is essential; as the hydrocarbon capacities of this area have been proven, and developing studies in it can lead to the identification of new resources.
He added that alongside Zagros, other regions of the country, including the north, northwest, northeast, central Iran, and the Persian Gulf, should also be considered so that the exploratory capacities of these areas can be identified and evaluated using specialized studies. Alikhani emphasized that exploratory activities should not be limited to conventional hydrocarbon resources and that resources such as hydrogen and helium, as well as unconventional hydrocarbon resources, should also be included in research and exploratory programs.
He also pointed out the importance of supporting exploratory activities and its necessity in the oil industry, reminding that not achieving results from a well is part of the essence of exploration and that one should not be discouraged by the failure of a drilling operation. Each well provides more information and understanding of the subsurface structures of the country to experts.
Smart Exploration with New Technologies
Alikhani considered the use of the capacity of young human resources and modern technologies as future needs for exploratory activities and stated that the National Iranian Oil Company is on the path to creating structures related to digital transformation and should utilize the capabilities of youth and artificial intelligence tools to smarten exploratory processes.
Alikhani also regarded attention to the education and empowerment of the next generation as one of the valuable actions in exploration management and added that supporting the scientific activities of students and providing the groundwork for continuing these activities can be effective in identifying and nurturing the talents of the next generation of the oil industry.
Exploring new oil and gas resources is considered one of the main missions of the National Iranian Oil Company, and the exploration management of this company pursues geological, geophysical studies, and exploratory drilling operations in various land and marine areas of the country. Zagros is one of the most important regions with hydrocarbon capacity in the country, and alongside conventional resources, studies related to unconventional hydrocarbon resources, including shale oil and gas hydrates, are also included in the country's exploratory programs.
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