The engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) project aims to boost capacity at Reshadat to 80,000 barrels a day (b/d) by the end of 2005, from the existing level of 3,000 b/d, an IOOC official told MEED on 7 October. Reshadat and the neighbouring Resalat and Salman oil fields were severely damaged during the first Gulf war and by a US Army raid on the fields' platforms in October 1989.

The four packages on the project are substructures and conductors; topsides and bridges; refurbishment of the D4 platform and upgrading the drilling facilities; and pipelines and subsea cables.

IOOC, a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company, says the scope of works on the project requires the supply of new production, living quarters and flare platforms, as well as interlinking the platforms with bridges and the existing D4 drilling platform, formerly known as R4.

The project also calls for companies to carry out the upgrade of existing drilling facilities and modification works on D4, enabling it to take on additional process and drilling equipment.

Other requirements include the supply and installation of a new wellhead platform in the south of Reshadat and interconnecting pipelines and power/control cables, linking the production platform to the wellhead platform and oil and gas export pipelines.

Companies are eligible to bid for one or more packages.

Oslo-based Fugro-Geoteamwas last year awarded a $17 million contract to carry out a 3D seismic survey for five oil fields including Reshadat (MEED 14:12:01). The upgrade of Reshadat is part of the Oil Ministry's plan to increase crude production capacity to 5 million b/d by 2004 from the existing official capacity of 4 million b/d.