Oil production at the Jofeir‑11 well has nearly tripled following an acid‑propped hydraulic fracturing operation, marking the first recorded instance of this method being carried out in Iran by a domestic private sector operator.
The project was carried out under the Sepehr and Jufair development plan, with Pasargad Exploration, Development and Production Company leading the project and providing the engineering design and supervision, while Pasargad Energy Development Company (PEDC) served as the investor under the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC). The operation was also executed through an integrated drilling services agreement for wells of Bangestan reservoirs with Pezhvak Energy Engineering Services Company (PECO), utilizing domestic technical, engineering and operational capabilities.
The design and operation of the project followed several years of study, review of prior experiences and technical lessons, along with tens of man‑hours of specialized analysis in geology, reservoir engineering, geomechanics, drilling, production and evaluation of Bangestan reservoir characteristics in the Jufair‑11 well.
During the design and preparation phase, specialized tests were carried out to assess acid–rock reactions kinetics, select acid system, evaluate proppant strength and verify fluid compatibility, drawing on the technical capabilities of Pasargad Energy Development Company.
In the final phase, approximately 1,900 barrels of fluids, including around 720 barrels of acid and about 15,770 pounds of proppant, were pumped at a primary injection rate of 20 barrels per minute to successfully complete the operation.
The significance of this achievement goes well beyond the production increase of a single well. As a substantial portion of Iran’s oil-in-place is located in tight and low-permeability reservoirs, the successful execution of the operation provides valuable hands on experience in advanced well stimulation techniques, representing a major step toward boosting output, reducing development costs, limiting the need for new drilling, optimizing oil reservoir exploitation and enhancing recovery factors in such formations nationwide.
Based on available records, roughly 25 hydraulic fracturing operations have been conducted in Iran over recent decades, five in 1370s and 1390s Iranian calendar, with the remainder carried out in 1350s. All operations were performed by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) using foreign field services providers.
The achievement also marks an important step in enhancing Iran’s private sector’s capacity to design, engineer, supervise and operate complex upstream projects. Furthermore, it serves as a clear example of the ability to rely on domestic technical expertise and specialized capabilities to address the technical challenges in developing and producing from complex reservoirs.