Iran plans to complete the installation of early production facilities (EPF) at the Sarvestan and Saadat Abad oil fields in the Shiraz province of central Iran by March 2012.

The two fields were originally expected to come on-stream in 2011, producing 15,000 barrels a day (b/d) of crude oil, but the start up has now been pushed back to March 2012.

Capacity gradually increased to a maximum of 25,000 b/d as feedstock for the nearby Shiraz refinery, says Mehdi Fakour, managing director of Iranian Central Oil Fields Company (ICOFC).

At the end of 2006, ICOFC signed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts with the local Oil & Energy Industries Development Company (OEID) and Oil Design & Construction Company (ODCC) to develop the fields over 65 months.

So far, the construction of oil processing facilities, well installations, the drilling of seven new wells and export pipelines have been completed.