Countdown for South Pars 550mcm/d Output
Iran is set to enhance recovery from the supergiant offshore South Pars gas field to 550 mcm/d by 19 March which marks the end of Iran's calendar year. Once this target achieved, Iran would be only 50 mcm/d behind Qatar, with which it shares the reservoir. This difference is expected to be compensated for during next calendar year and then Iran will be able to outdo Qatar in gas recovery from the gas field located in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian oil service workers have been working hard this year to materialize another 100 mcm/d annual output hike for the third year in a row. To that end, they are working round the clock in the toughest climatic and geographical conditions, busy with installing necessary installations deep underwater for extraction, transfer, refining and injection of gas to national trunklines. It might be difficult to imagine working under searing sun with temperature hovering at 40 degrees Centigrade and humidity of 95%.
They work hard so that Iran would not face any gas supply shortage during winter.
This year, with the launch of six offshore platforms, more than 140 mcm/d of sour gas is added to the gas field's output. Therefore, Iran is largely expected to experience a sustainable gas supply in winter. In case this objective is achieved the South Pars output would exceed 540 mcm/d.
Mohammad Meshkinfam, the CEO of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC), said recently that the gas recovery record in South Pars gas field would be smashed this year.
"By year-end, 140 mcm/d would be added to the capacity of gas recovery from this field," he said.
The volume of gas recovery from South Pars gas field stood at 282 mcm/d from 10 phases in the calendar year to March 2014. This figure has now reached 500 mcm/d, which is expected to rise to 515 mcm/d soon, as the second train of the refinery of Phase 20 is coming online.
Full development of South Pars gas field would need $91 billion in investment. Since development work started in South Pars in 1998, $70 billion has been spent there. Remaining phases would be allocated $21 billion in investment in the future.
Iran had recovered around 879 bcm of gas from South Pars up to last March, earning the country $378 billion in revenue. That would be four times the total investment to be made in the gas field development. Once fully developed, South Pars would provide 1 mb/d of gas condensate, 9 million tons a year of ethane, 10 million tons a day of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 5,000 tons a day of sulfur.
Phases 20/21 Eye Maximum Output
The platform of Phase 21 of South Pars, which weighs 2,700 tons, was installed last August. It recently started producing 28 mcm/d of sour gas. The platform designed for Phase 20 was recently loaded out and will be soon moved for installation. POGC officials say the platform of Phase 20 is expected to become operational before next March. The refinery of these phases is already converting sour gas supplied from phases 6 to 8 to sweet gas.
The manager of Phases 20-21 development project has said that the second sweetening train in the refinery of these phases is receiving its feedstock from offshore facilities.
The platforms of phases 20 and 21 of South Pars have each capacity to process 1 bcf/d of gas. The development projected envisaged