Phase 16 of the giant South Pars gas field becomes operational

A senior Iranian energy official says phase 16 of the giant South Pars gas field in southern Iran has come on stream and fed millions of cubic meters of sweet gas into Iran’s gas trunkline.

Reza Forouzesh, the development manager of South Pars phases 15 and 16, said on Thursday that phase 16 of the massive offshore reservoir supplied its first delivery of sweet gas, measuring 7.5 million cubic meters (mcm), to the trunkline.

He added that the output of phases 15 and 16 will hit 23 mcm per day once three gas desalting installations become operational.

South Pars phases 15 and 16 are projected to yield 56.6 mcm of natural gas per day, 75,000 barrels of gas condensate on a daily basis, and more than one ton of liquefied propane and butane as well as one million ton of ethane annually.

South Pars covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which are in Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers are situated in Qatar’s territorial waters.

The gas field is estimated to contain a significant amount of natural gas, accounting for about eight percent of the world’s reserves, and approximately 18 billion barrels of condensate.