Energy Ministry Sets Drilling Record

Minister of Energy Majid Namju said his ministry is about to set a new record in its drilling projects.

Speaking at a ceremony held on Saturday to mark the completion of a project for drilling a tunnel to transfer water resources from Dez Upstream (Khuzestan province) to Qomrud, Qom province, Namju added that 4 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will have completed drilling tunnels by the end of the current Iranian year (March 2013), IRNA reported.

He said the first and second TBMs have already completed 14 and 30 kilometers of drilling, one in the west of the country and the other in Karaj, Alborz province.

“The third TBM finished drilling today and the fourth one, which is drilling in Koohrang Tunnel will exit the tunnel by the end of the year.”

He referred to the project for transferring water resources from Dez Upstream to Qomrud and said 11 billion rials ($1.1 million) has been spent on the project and another 2 trillion rials ($200 million) is needed to complete it.

Once completed, Namju added, the project will transfer water to 10 cities and 100 villages.

He also stressed that water is a national issue like oil, adding that if water is looked at from a local perspective, it might give rise to social tensions.

Iran Daily