Export of gas condensate from the South Pars gas field's Phase 12 surpassed 9.3 million barrels after the eighth cargo of the commodity, containing 850,000 barrels, was exported recently, ISNA reported.
Phase 12 refinery's sweet gas output reaches 68 million cubic meters, Rasoul Fallahnejad, Phase 12 operator said. The refinery receives about 10 to 15 million cubic meters of sour and dry gas from Gas Trunkline 5 (IGAT5) and re-injects the sweetened gas to the national pipeline. Dry gas is natural gas that consists of little more than methane, producing little condensable heavier hydrocarbon compounds such as propane and butane when brought to the surface.
Fallahnejad added that the refining capacity of Phase 12 has hit 75 million cubic meters after the recent launch of the sixth gas sweetening unit of the phase.
Currently more than 50 million cubic meters of sour gas is produced from offshore platforms (A, B and C) of the phase, he said, adding that the second desulphurization unit of the phase will become operational in the next 10 days. The first sulfur consignment was shipped overseas from Phase 12 recently.
Phase 12 contains 4 percent of total gas reserves of South Pars gas field, which is slightly less than one percent of the total global gas reserves. So far about six million tons of sweet gas has been produced from the phase, worth more than 1.5 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) announced that the phase has now reached its full refining capacity after its sixth gas sweetening unit was connected to the national gas network on Sunday.
Rokneddin Javadi added that South Pars Phase 12 will officially come online by the end of February "now that the development projects of the phase have been completed."
Share of Iranian contractors was projected at 51 percent when the contract was signed for the implementation of the projects. However, due to sanctions the entire offshore project was carried out by domestic contractors. Likewise, 75 percent of offshore operations were handed over to Iranian contractors. Petropars is the project's operator.
Total monthly production from the field is valued at $327 million. The field is estimated to contain 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of gas condensate.
With a physical progress of 96 percent so far, phase 12 is one of the several prioritized phases of the South Pars gas field. The onshore and offshore sections and the drilling of the phase have recorded progress of 97, 99, and 93 percent, respectively.
It is located on the border with Qatar, in an area measuring 206 square kilometers. The offshore section is approximately 150 km from Iran’s coastline and the onshore section is located in the Tombak Region, 65km west of Assalouyeh.
