SHANA � The National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) has successfully completed drilling operations on 88 oil and gas wells over the first 9 months of the current calendar year, which began on March 21.

According to the NIDC deputy director for drilling operations, the wells included an exploration well as well as 26 development wells, 7 appraisal wells and 54 workover projects.

Mohammad Ale-Khamis said during the period, 119,438 meters were drilled by NIDC rigs in onshore and offshore projects.

Furthermore, he said, 64 wells were ordered by the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) and 12 others were drilled in the offshore fields operated by the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC).

Moreover, 2 wells were drilled in the fields operated by the Central Oil Fields Company, 3 were ordered by the Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), and 6 others were spudded as projects. Finally, a well was drilled in the areas operated by the exploration department of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

NIDC enjoy 72 offshore and onshore drilling rigs and since March, has operated 26 of them for drilling wells, 3 rigs for drilling appraisal wells, 4 rigs for exploration projects, and 25 other rigs for workover projects, Ale-Khamis said.