Iran announced on Sunday that it will launch Phases 15 and 16 of its giant South Pars gas field by the end of September.
Reza Forouzesh from Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) told reporters that both phases are already in the final stages of development.
He added that Iran’s overall production of sweet gas will increase by a daily of 50 million cubic meters (mcm) once Phases 15 and 16 come on stream.
Forouzesh, who is the project director of Phases 15 and 16 at POGC, said the two phases presently pump a daily of above 36 mcm of natural gas into Iran’s national trunk-lines.
He added that their treatment plants are currently processing sour gas from Phase 18, as well.
South Pars, divided into 29 development phases, contains 40 trillion cubic meters (tcm) of natural gas. It covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which are in Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers are situated in Qatar’s territorial waters.
The gas field is estimated to contain about eight percent of the world’s reserves, and approximately 18 billion barrels of condensate.
The latest section to finish in South Pars was Phase 12 which was put on stream last March.
POGC is a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and is in charge of the development of all phases of South Pars gas field.
A local consortium led by engineering powerhouse Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (OIEC) is in charge of the development of SP Phases 16 and 16.
The development of the phases started in 2006.