The executive operations of the project to recover flare gas have been launched at Zagros Petrochemical Company in Asalouyeh, Bushehr Province, on Thursday.
Estimated to cost $3.37 million, the project will prevent the emission of 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gases, managing director of the company said.
Greenhouse gases are capable of trapping the earth's emitted radiation, which otherwise escapes back into space. The primary greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
“The design of the project has been done by local experts and the construction phase will also be carried out by Iranian engineers,” Matin Didari was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana.
Zagros Petrochemical Company was established in 2006 with an annual production capacity of 3.3 million tons of methanol.
With the launch of the project, the annual production of Zagros Petrochemical Plant will increase by 26,000 tons and help prevent the loss of resources, vice president and head of the company’s Department of Environment said.
“The flare gas recovery system at Zagros Petrochemical Complex is only the second of its kind in the country to prevent the burning of associated petroleum gases after the Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery in Behbahan. We hope to see more such projects in future too,” Shana also quoted Ali Salajeqeh as saying.
With the launch of the project, the annual production of Zagros Petrochemical Plant will increase by 26,000 tons and help prevent the loss of resources
The Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery, as the largest APG collection and processing facility in the Middle East with a daily processing capacity of more than 56 million cubic meters and an investment of $3.4 billion, came on stream in February.
It collects APG in the provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr and Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad to reduce environmental pollution and produce value added commodities.
The megaproject was financed with an investment of $3.4 billion. It receives 13.5 million tons of sour gas from NGL 900 and 1000, and 2.25 million tons of sweet gas from NGL 1200 and 1300 plants annually.
The plant’s daily processing capacity is over 56 million cubic meters of APG. Operating at full capacity, it can generate $1.5 billion a year for the country.
Annually 10.4 million tons of methane, 1.5 million tons of ethane, 1 million tons of propane, 0.5 million tons of butane, 0.6 million tons of gas condensate, 0.9 million tons of acid gas will be produced at the Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refinery.
Associated Petroleum Gas
APG is natural gas found with deposits of petroleum. It is often released as a waste product and burnt off as flare gas.
Flaring is an important safety measure in oil and gas production sites, as it prevents industrial plant equipment from overpressure and explosion. However, burning high levels of APG is a major source of pollution as it pours methane, ethane and propane into the atmosphere.
Iran has made verifiable progress in using flare gas for power generation and feed refineries.
The Oil Ministry has adopted several measures to reduce gas flaring, namely collecting APG for injection into oil and gas wells, converting it into petroleum products like natural gas liquids and for power production.
Since 2008, Iran has prevented the flaring of over 12 billion cubic meters of APG, a source of global warming and waste of valuable fuel.
Despite the measures, Iran has the highest rate of energy waste in the form of APG in the Middle East and ranks third in the world in terms of gas flaring after Russia and Iraq.
According to official reports, approximately 17 bcm of gas are still flared and wasted annually.
