GOMEL, June 17 (BelTA) – The Belarusian oil company Belorusneft is expanding its operation in Iran. Several days ago a team of specialists started examining oil deposits in the Iranian province Khuzistan where most of the country’s oil is believed to be, Belorusneft’s press service told BelTA.
With experience of working in the same area in Belarus and Venezuela, the Belarusian specialists were dispatched to Khuzistan to provide seismic exploration services in line with the contract that Belorusneft and the Iranian oil company Petropars Institute signed in April 2009.
The document is believed to be the starting point of the Belarusian-Iranian cooperation in seismic exploration. In line with the contract Belorusneft will provide engineering personnel as well as services, including 3D seismic survey of the Band-e-Karkheh deposit. The area to be surveyed is as large as 683 square kilometres. Belorusneft has undertaken to supply vibration exciters, peripheral equipment, quality control systems and software.
Petropars Institute is the fourth partner of the Belarusian oil industry in Iran. Since 2007 the Belarusian-Iranian joint venture Belpars Petroleum Company Limited has been working in Iran. It performs geological prospecting of the Jofeyr oil field. Pilot operation of the oil field is supposed to start as early as this year. The minimum output of the explored strata is estimated at 25,000 barrels daily. An agreement has been reached with the National Iranian Oil Company on handing over a new stratum at the Azadegan oil field to the Belarusian-Iranian joint venture.
Apart from that, in 2008 Belorusneft signed an agreement on cooperation in service, scientific and geophysical support for drilling oil wells in Iran with Sepanta International and a memorandum of understanding with Petroiran Development Company (PEDCO).
The industrial association Belorusneft was set up in 1966. It is part of the Belarusian petrochemical concern Belneftekhim. The company performs oil exploration, well drilling, extraction of oil and associated gas. Over the last two years the company has set up joint ventures in Russia, Venezuela, and Iran. The joint ventures offer complex solutions for exploring oil deposits.
