Iran installs South Pars offshore platform

Iran has successfully installed the offshore platform of Phase 18 of the massive South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf waters.

The platform is the second one to have been installed during the course of a project to develop phases 17 and 18 of the South Pars field, said Farrokh Alikhani, deputy managing director of the Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) for offshore facilities of South Pars projects.

The installation of the platform built by the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC) has facilitated the installation of other structures such as bridges and flares at the facility, he said.

In five months’ time, he noted, the first segment of Phase 18 is expected to be completed and start pumping 14 million cubic meters per day of natural gas to onshore refining facilities.

The first segment of Phase 17 will also begin pumping a similar amount of natural gas once drilling operations conclude, he underlined.

The South Pars gas field, divided into 28 phases, is located in the Persian Gulf on the common border between Iran and Qatar. The field is estimated to hold 14 trillion cubic meters of gas as well as 18 billion barrels of condensates.

The field covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which lie in Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers, better known as the North Dome, are located in Qatar’s territorial waters.