Iran Completes Phase 13 of South Pars Gas Field

Iranian engineers installed the fourth and last platform of phase 13 of the South Pars gas field, the largest gas reservoir in the world, to complete the development of the phase independently at a time that foreign firms had withdrawn because of US pressures.

Platform 13C, the last platform of phase 13, of Iran’s South Pars gas field’s development project was installed on its designated offshore spot on Saturday evening.

Payam Motamed, the operator of phase 13 of developing South Pars informed that the installment weighs about 2,500 tons.

Platform 13C, along with 13A, were loaded at Sadra yard in the southwestern province of Bushehr to be shipped toward their designated offshore place, in early February.

According to Motamed, the physical progress of the structure stands at more than 98 percent and it has been designed and built totally by Iranian experts and the major parts and equipment have been supplied by domestic producers.

The first platform of phase 13 (namely 13B) was installed on its designated offshore spot in early December 2018 and the mentioned platform along with the second one (13D) became operational in late January 2019.

Phase 13 of the South Pars field is aimed at the production of 56 mcm of gas, 75,000 barrels of gas condensate and 400 tons of sulfur per day in addition to one million tons of ethane and one million tons of propane and butane per annum.

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

The third offshore platform of the phase 13 of the supergiant South Pars gas field was installed in last month.

According to the Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC), Platform 13A, was installed on February 24 by an HL-5000 installer in the gas field.

The structure was loaded together with 13C satellite platform a while ago by using push/pull method on an FLB124 barge.

"This complex and sensitive operation, after careful climate stabilization in the sea, with strict observance of safety principles was carried out in order to accelerate the production program of the field," Motamed had said.