A senior Iranian energy official says the largest phase of the massive offshore South Pars gas field will come on stream by the end of September.

Project Manager for South Pars Phase 12, Mahmoud Rahbari, said on Tuesday that transmission of sweetened natural gas has started from onshore to offshore facilities in preparation for the commissioning of the first gas production platform in this phase.

He further noted that the flare of the platform will be lit in early August once sweetened gas starts flowing through a 150-kilometer subsea pipeline.

Rahbari added that 15 million cubic meters (mcm) a day of sour gas will be carried from this platform to onshore facilities in September.

National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Managing Director Ahmad Qalebani said on Sunday that the first segment of phases 15 and 16 of South Pars will be operational in the next few days.

On July 23, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said development of different phases of South Pars gas field is going ahead despite US-engineered sanctions against Iran over its nuclear energy program.

The South Pars gas field, divided into 28 phases, is located in the Persian Gulf straddling the common border between Iran and Qatar. It is estimated that the field contains 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of condensate.


HK