In line with plans to fast-track gas production from South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf, two offshore platforms of the field's phases 22 and 24 are expected to be up and running by March.
"Iran Marine Industrial Company, also known as SADRA, is building 10 offshore platforms for phases 13, 14, 22, 23 and 24 of South Pars, of which platforms A22 and A24 are expected to be installed at their specific locations in two months," Farhad Izadjou, director of phases 22-24, said in a statement, the National Iranian Oil Company's news portal reported on Sunday.
"The first processing train of phases 22 to 24 will be launched in March," he said, adding that the refined gas, mixed with natural gas extracted from phases 6, 7 and 8, will start to flow into Iran Gas Trunkline 5. A standard phase of South Pars is designed to produce 56 million cubic meters per day of natural gas.
Iran uses natural gas for heating purposes and as feedstock for thermal power stations that constitute more than 80% of its installed electricity generating capacity. It also injects gas into underground reservoirs to increase crude oil recovery. Asked about other processing units, Izadjou noted that a train each will go on stream in April, May and June.
According to the official, the onshore refinery for phases 22, 23 and 24 has registered a 91% physical progress.
Izadjou noted that if the much-needed funding is provided and contractors are paid their dues, the project will be undertaken ahead of schedule.
Iran hopes to complete all South Pars phases by March 2019, a target that officials say requires an investment of between $20-30 billion.
Doroud Rehabilitation
According to NIOC's news portal, operations to renovate four platforms in Doroud Oilfield, an underdeveloped hydrocarbon resource located off Kharg Island, is expected to be completed by April.
The rehabilitation work will help increase recovery rate, reduce environmental damage and improve safety. Reportedly, feasibility studies to lay 10 underwater pipelines, each one extending over 10 kilometers from Doroud Oilfield to Kharg Island, have been completed.
Production from the oilfield started 40 years ago and Iran draws roughly 15,000 barrels of crude per day from the offshore field.
The field has undergone two development operations and the third stage of development was underway in collaboration with Total, but the French company halted operations in the field following the sanctions and ultimately failed to reach the 83,000-bpd target it had committed to realize.
Phase 12 Output
Between March 22 and Dec. 22, over 16.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas were pumped from South Pars Phase 12 to the ninth SP Refinery, the largest processing facility of the mega gas project in the city of Asalouyeh, Bushehr Province.
"The refinery produced 18 million barrels of gas condensates in the said period," he added, noting that the facility's sulfur output has exceeded 18,000 tons in nine months.
The official also said that the refinery processes 11% of Iran’s gas and supplies 16% of the total South Pars output.
The refinery is one of the 14 plants in Asalouyeh processing natural gas drawn from the giant South Pars field, the world's largest gas field, shared between Iran and Qatar, covering an area of 3,700 square kilometers of Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
The South Pars project is being developed in 24 phases.
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