Drilling operations and development of the offshore section of Phase 11 of South Pars (SP) gas field will be handed over to either foreign or Iranian contractors, in advance of the onshore portion, managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) informed.
Since drilling of the offshore section is going to take longer, it has been decided by the managing board of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) that work on this part will start ahead of the onshore part, Shana news agency quoted Ali-Akbar Shabanpour as saying.
"No contractor has been selected as yet, but candidates are under consideration by the NIOC" the official said.
Following completion, gas from Phase 11 will be processed at refineries in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), due to the untapped capacity at the refineries.
The onshore facilities of the project are to be constructed 136 kilometers away from the offshore facilities, in PSEEZ-2.
Last week, the board of directors of NIOC decided to remove Phase 11 from its list of prioritized projects due to lack of funding, which have ultimately resulted in the closure of its offices at POGC.
POGC is a subsidiary of NIOC with the mandate to develop South Pars and North Pars gas fields.
Phase 11, which is projected to yield 2 billion cubic feet of sour gas and 80,000 barrels of gas condensate per day, is the only Phase of the South Pars gas field that has stalled.
The development of the field was granted to several companies, none of whom could complete the long-drawn-out project.
