Oil Industry News
Iran Oil Industry Bullish Despite Lukoil Exit
Wednesday, 28, April 2010
Iran says following a decision by major Russian oil firm Lukoil to halt all activities in the country that its oil industry can cope without foreign expertise. The Islamic republic was prepared for the move and Russia is still considering a role in Iranian oil and gas projects.Lukoil was developing an important oil exploration block named Anaran, which is located in western Iran in Ilam province along the Iran-Iraq border.
The firm was also due to carry out research projects in two other Iranian blocks, Laleh and Moghan, but there have been no reports on the fate of these studies.Lukoil vice president Leonid Fedun says that continuing work in the Iranian gas and oil sector is impossible while United States sanctions against Iran are in place. The company said it had cost 63 million US dollars to abandon its projects in the country. Lukoil has also stopped all gasoline exports to Iran.