Engineer Youssef Qablawi, CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC), accompanied by a high-level technical and engineering team, conducted an inspection tour of the Al-Jafra oil field in Deir ez-Zor Governorate on Wednesday. The tour aimed to assess the current condition of the wells and explore ways to improve production efficiency.
Production Reality: Technical Challenges and a Digital Gap
The tour revealed a significant decline in the field's performance compared to previous levels. The findings are as follows:
- Current Well Status: The field has 70 wells, of which only 30 are currently in production. The other 40 have ceased production due to the use of outdated methods that have negatively impacted well efficiency.
- Production Difference: Al-Jafra field production has declined from 40,000-50,000 barrels per day before 2011 to approximately 3,000 barrels per day currently.
- Overall Production: Syria's total oil production has recorded a sharp decline, currently standing at 100,000 barrels per day, compared to 360,000 barrels per day in 2010.
Diplomatic and Technical Moves to Resume International Partnerships
Engineer Youssef Qablawi stated that contact has been made with the French company Total Energies, offering to resume operations under the previous partnership agreement. This move aims to restart activity as soon as sanctions are lifted and full control of the fields is restored.
Note: Total withdrew from the field in 2012. The Deir ez-Zor Oil Company is responsible for managing the contract technically, financially, and contractually.
Expert Technical Leadership
The Deir ez-Zor Oil Company is currently chaired by Engineer Hassan Awad, a prominent Syrian expert. Awad has a distinguished international career, having worked for Al-Furat Petroleum Company before moving to several countries, including the UAE and Malaysia, before recently returning to contribute to the Syrian oil sector.
The technical report confirmed that Syrian oil fields currently require:
- Significant funding: to rehabilitate damaged wells and upgrade processing and separation plants.
- Foreign expertise: The return of major companies like Total will ensure the introduction of modern drilling and production technologies.
- Mutual benefit: Achieving substantial economic returns for both the Syrian government (represented by SPC) and foreign partners upon restoring previous production levels.
Zaman al-Wasl
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