to plans, Phase 19 which is equivalent to two standard phases becomes operational this year. Furthermore, revenue from the startup of this phase will see an increase of $3.5 to $4 billion a year.
Once fully operational, Phase 19 will be producing 2 bcf/d of gas, 80,000 b/d of gas condensate, 2,550 tons a day of ethane for feeding petrochemical plants, 3,200 tons a day of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) including butane and propane, as well as 400 tons a day of sulfur.
Platform 21 Installed
Platform 21 was also loaded out from the IOEC Khorramshahr Yard and installed in late July. This 1 bcf platform weighs 2,700 tons. Iranian engineers handled the entire installation operations. It was the 21st platform to have been installed in South Pars.
The platform of Phase 21 which has been built in Khorramshahr Yard carries the relevant hydrocarbon through 11 wells and a 100-kilometer pipeline, 32 inches in diameter, to an offshore refinery. The pipeline which carries the hydrocarbon has been installed by local companies.
With the startup of Phases 20 and 21 of South Pars, Iran’s gas production capacity increases by 2 bcf/d. In addition to the generation of $4 billion a year in revenues for the country and the replacement of 50 liters a day of petroleum products with natural gas, that will pave the way for a satisfactory trade balance in Iran through the generation of $1.2 billion a year of income from gas condensate sales.
New Platform at South Pars
Platform 18B of the giant South Pars gas field, with a capacity of 500 mcf/d of gas, was installed on August 2 by Iranian engineers.
The platform alone weighs 2,300 tons. If the jacket, bridge and its flare are also included, the structure would weigh 6,650 tons.
Platform 18B will start recovering hydrocarbon from the Iranian sector of the reservoir which is shared with Qatar.
Platform 18B is the seventh offshore topdrive becoming operational under an agreement between Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) and Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Co (ISOICO).
The launch of this platform will help inject 12.5 mcm/d of gas into national gas trunkline.
Phases 17 and 18 of South Pars and will add a total of 2 bcf of gas to the South Pars output. Since the start of production in these two phases in January 2015, 8 bcm of gas has been sweetened in these phases. Furthermore, these phases have produced 4.6 million barrels of gas condensate, 95,000 tons of ethane and 148,000 tons of butane and propane, valued at $1.3 billion.
The development of phases 17 and 18 is aimed at the production of 50 mcm/d of gas, 80,000 b/d of gas condensate and 400 tons a day of sulfur.
5 Phases to Start Gas production
Iran’s petroleum minister, Bijan Zangeneh, has said that the installation of platforms in South Pars will prepare the ground for enhanced production from this gas reservoir.
Iran is currently recovering some 430 mcm/d of gas from South Pars. According to plans, five new phases of South Pars – Phase 19 (equivalent to two phases), Phase 20 & 21 and the remaining sections of Phases 17&18 – are expected to become operational this year.