Upon constructing Gotvand dam which is located 21 km north of Shooshtar city, Khouzestan province in south-west Iran, a reservoir some 90 km long was formed over Karoun and Laali oil field. Since the maximum water level behind the dam was determined to be 234m above the sea level, drowning some oil wells already drilled, including Karoun 1, Laali 1, 2, 4, 13, 19 and 20, as well as a substantial length of oil pipelines and surface facilities was inevitable. Therefore, locating and drilling alternative wells north and south of the reservoir was necessary. KEP-Co was assigned to undertake all the studies regarding alternative surface facilities, including but not limited to pumps, pipelines, separators and oil and gas transport options across the reservoir, as well as final transport to Anbar and Zilaee production units at the south. Finally, KEP-Co managed to devise the optimum option of pipelines and surface facilities, taking into account future development plans. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) was also provided to guarantee that all stages of design, construction and implementation is in compliance with national and international regulations.
