Lukoil set to win two oil deals in Iran

Russia's second-biggest oil producer Lukoil says it is preparing to present Iran with the findings of its studies over two oil fields in the country – a move which could lead to awarding the development of the fields to the company. 

Lukoil Chief Executive Officer Vagit Alekperov said the technical studies over Mansouri and Ab Teymour oil fields – both located in the southwestern oil-rich Khuzestan province – will be presented to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in the near future.

Alekperov told reporters after meeting Iran’s Petroleum Minister Bijan Zangeneh that Lukoil experts will soon travel to Khuzestan for a further study of the fields.

According to Alekperov, Lukoil is also studying an NIOC project in the Persian Gulf. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Mansouri and Ab Teymour are presently Lukoil’s priority.

If Lukoil is awarded the development of the fields anytime soon, it will become the first foreign company to win an oil project in Iran after the removal of sanctions against the country.

The sanctions that were removed in January banned foreign investments in Iran’s oil sector. The removal of the sanctions followed the implementation of a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

Iran said in January that it had signed a deal with Lukoil over two exploration projects in Khuzestan. Hormoz Qalavand, the director for exploration affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), told the media that the value of the contract was about $6 million.

The Russian company and Norway's Statoil had won a deal to launch exploration operations in Anaran block in western Iran in 2003. Lukoil held a stake of 25 percent in the consortium and the remaining stakes belonged to Statoil.

Their operations led to the discovery of oil in Azar and Changuleh fields in 2005. However, both had to pull out of Iran in 2011 after the US and Europeans intensified sanctions on Iran.

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