Two onshore natural gas sweetening trains in Phases 13 as well as 22-24 of South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf are ready to inject gas into the national grid, said the managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company— a subsidiary of state-owned National Iranian Oil Company.
"As soon as pipelines that connect offshore platforms to the onshore processing trains are laid, close to 28 million cubic meters will be added to the country's total output capacity at 850 mcm per day," Mohammad Meshkinfam was quotes as saying by Shana Sunday.
According to Meshkinfam, each of the new refining units can process 14 mcm of sour gas per day.
Phase 13 comprises of four platforms, two of which were transferred to their designated location last week and are being installed. Development projects of this phase include 38 wells, which have been drilled, and four pipelines stretching 90km off the Persian Gulf coast, of which 65% has been laid, the official said.
"The refining units will receive sour gas from phases 6, 7 and 8 as part of the production plan from the world’s largest gas field that is jointly owned by Qatar."
A consortium of local firms, namely Iran Marine Industrial Company or SADRA, energy conglomerate MAPNA and Petro Paydar Iranian Company, is developing Phase 13.
Regarding phases22-24, he said offshore platform 22 is up and running and other platforms are being completed in SADRA shipbuilding and ship repairing yard in Bushehr.
Two 32-inch pipelines are being laid from phases 22-24 reservoir to the onshore sweetening trains.
The South Pars mega project—being developed in 24 phases— has registered a work-in-progress rate of 85% and the rest will be completed by next March.
"More than $70 billion has been spent on the gas project over the past 15 years and the field requires an additional $30 billion to become fully operational," the company director said.
Iran uses natural gas for heating purposes and as feedstock for thermal power stations that account for 80% of electricity generation Gas is also injected into underground reservoirs to increase crude oil recovery.
South Pars is the world's largest gas field shared by Iran and state of Qatar.
