TEHRAN (PIN) – Platforms of South Pars field’s phases 9 and 10 would be loaded by Nov. 21, said the project manager Saturday.

Morteza Emami told PIN that Phase 9 of South Pars gas field would become operational in the upcoming winter and Phase 10 would come on stream in fall of 2008.
He added phases 9 and 10 had made 82 percent progress and their platforms would be loaded and installed within a month.
“Up to now, 11 wells with 15,000 meter depth have been drilled and the drilling operations of four more wells are carried out by the end of current fall if wellhead valves are supplied,” Emami said.
The drilling operations in phases 9 and 10 started on March 24, 2007, said the manager, adding, “Out of 24 wells, 22 are drilled by the National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC).
“This is the first time an Iranian team manages and funds a project in the presence of foreign companies.”
According to him, phases 9 and 10 of SP gas field are funded in the finance form and semi-governmental companies are implementing the project.
POGC Managing Director Ali Vakili expressed hope the two phases would start work soon to meet the growing need in winter.
Phases 9 and 10 have been designed to produce two billion cubic feet of gas a day. The two phases are to yield 50 million cubic meters of methane, 2,600 tons of ethane, 1,200 tons of butane, 2,000 tons of propane, 77,000 tons of gas condensates, and 400 tons of solid sulfur daily.
Iran’s acting oil minister said phases 6-8 made almost 98 percent progress, with Phase 6 being fully ready for operation.
“Phase 6 has been completely developed and progress of phases 7 and 8 had surpassed 97.5 percent,” the Petroleum Ministry quoted Gholam-Hossein Nozari as saying.
The caretaker added the refineries of the three phases were at the production stage and would come on stream within the next three months.
Nozari expressed his satisfaction with the pipe-laying operations in the three phases, saying a trivial problem had occurred in the third pipeline that would be removed immediately.
Phase 6 would be supplied with the required gas as of late Nov. and it would play a logistical role for refineries of South Pars field, said the official.
Nozari paid a visit under construction gas refineries of phases 6-8 and development plans of phases 9 and 10 on Oct. 8.
It was the first time that Nozari visited South Pars facilities as the ministry’s caretaker.
According to the plan, 28 gas refineries, 25 petrochemical projects, and three liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants will be constructed in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone.
Phases 1-5 have so far come on stream and phases 6-8 will become operational by the upcoming winter.
When phases 6-8 are put into operation, 104 million cubic meters of sour gas will be pumped to Khuzestan Province through a 56 inch pipeline per day to inject into Aghajari oilfield. 
South Pars is the world’s largest gas field, holding almost half of Iran’s gas reserves.
Located in the strategic Persian Gulf, South Pars -- the largest known gas reserves -- is shared between Iran and the tiny emirate of Qatar. It contains 1,900 TCF of in place gas and 56 billion barrels of in situ condensate in the shared region.
Production started from South Pars after commissioning of Phase 2 in Dec. 2002.