Oil minister urges increase in oil recovery rate

contentQassemi made the remarks addressing a ceremony held to mark endorsement of an agreement between his ministry and a consortium of six Iranian universities represented by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. According to the website of the oil ministry, Shana, Qassemi said despite the stipulated enhancement of recovery rate by one percent over the next five years, we should be aware of the fact that recovery rate in Iran (25 percent) is far behind international standards which is 37 percent. "If we want to fill the gap each time by one percent, it will certainly take a long time, but by relying on universities and scientific centers' know-how we will be able to make a great leap forward," Qassemi said. Qassemi said over the last 100 hundred years some oil wells' yield has fallen considerably, "a point that necessitates paying more attention to enhancing recovery rate". Referring to Ferdowsi oil field with the biggest in situ heavy oil reserves in the world (34 billion barrels of oil), the minister noted that just 7 to 8 percent of the oil field's reserves are recoverable which, he said, is the result of inefficient techniques of enhancing recovery. "Today the oil industry not only requires to apply modern techniques of enhancing recovery but also needs more innovations," according to the official. Qassemi said that existence of tens of idle wells and falling pressure in oil and gas reservoirs has made concentrated efforts to enhance recovery a necessity.