IRAN - Gholam-Hossein Nozari.

The Deputy Oil Minister and CEO of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC), Nozari is an engineer who has succeeded Dr. Mehdi Mir-Moezzi after the latter was relieved of this post in late 2005. Close to the IRGC but with experience in the petroleum sector, Nozari previously headed one of NIOC's producing units.

Nozari on Sept. 5, 2006, told reporters: "We are not close to the 5.3m b/d target of the fourth plan (2005-10). More than 80% of the current oil output is being provided from aged fields that need serious investment to increase production". The main challenge for NIOC, Nozari said, was "maintenance of oil reservoirs or increasing the recovery rate".

Plans for oilfields needing big IOC investment have been delayed by protracted negotiations over disputes on rising costs. On March 10, 2007, he said Iran had the capacity to produce 4.2m b/d of crude oil and 300 MCM/day of natural gas. He said major investments had been made in oil and gas projects in the southern Iranian province of Fars, which will help turn the region into one of Iran's energy hubs. He said a number of petrochemical plants had been launched in that region.

Addressing a Dubai conference on April 16, Nozari said despite the growing investments in alternate energy sources and the rhetoric of reducing dependence on hydrocarbons, oil and gas will remain the main sources of energy for several decades.

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