National Iranian Oil Company will issue a second list of international companies approved to bid in the country’s oil and gas upstream tenders, the deputy head of NIOC said on Saturday.
Rejecting claims that Russian giants namely Zarubezhneft, Tatneft and Rosneft have been sidelined from Iran's emerging energy market, Gholamreza Manouchehri said the NIOC is preparing the second list of international firms qualified to bid in tenders for dozens of oil projects, Mehr News Agency reported.
Manouchehri speculated that Zarubezhneft and Tatneft, who have signed preliminary agreements to study Iranian oilfields, are likely to make it into the second list.
Zarubezhneft is undertaking studies to boost extraction from two Iranian oilfields shared with Iraq, namely, Aban and West Paydar. Lukoil is now conducting technical studies over two oilfields namely Ab-Teymour and Mansouri and is due to submit its findings to the NIOC in the near future.
Russia's Gazprom Neft PJSC is conducting surveys on Cheshmeh Khosh and Changuleh fields in Ilam Province west of Iran. Tatneft is also reportedly in an agreement to help study and develop the western Dehloran oilfield.
According to Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Rosneft is also interested in developing the Azadegan Oilfield shared by Iran and Iraq.
“Rosneft has negotiated with the National Iranian Oil Company to develop Yaran, Koupal and Maroun Oilfields in the southern province of Khuzestan via enhanced oil recovery methods."