Second phase of the Tang Bijar Gas Field development project in western Ilam Province is good progress, the planning manager of state-owned Iranian Central Oil Fields Company said.
"The second phase includes drilling five wells, of which three are operational," Shahriar Aqaei was quoted as saying by Shana, the Oil Ministry news portal.
Natural gas will be piped to Ilam Gas Refinery via an 18-inch pipeline, which is in place, Aqaei said.
The field also contains gas condensates that are transferred to the same refinery via a 6-inch pipeline.
The projects have been undertaken with the help of domestic engineers from the West Oil and Gas Production Company.
ICOFC has three subsidiaries, namely West Oil and Gas Production Company, East Oil and Gas Production Company and South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company.
"Buying equipment, including high-pressure pipelines and valves, from local manufacturers is a priority for WOGPC," he said.
The first phase of the gas field, with a capacity to produce 7 million cubic meters a day, was completed in 2007 and the second phase will raise capacity to at least 10 mcm/d.
Overhaul operations on facilities and installations in the west are undertaken by WOGPC's technicians.
Elaborating on oil and gas extraction rates in fields managed by WOGPC in Lorestan, Kermanshah and a part of Khuzestan, the official said close to 10 million cubic meters of natural gas, 7,000 barrels of gas condensates and 200,000 barrels of oil are produced on a daily basis from 12 fields five of which are jointly owned by Iraq.
Nonetheless, the fields are in the middle of their life cycle and production from some is declining, he said.
"Output of hydrocarbons will decline unless new ejectors and submersible pumps are employed."
