TEHRAN (PIN) – Petropars Company Managing Director Gholamreza Manuchehri yesterday said the platform of Phase 6 of South Pars (SP) gas field would become operational within four or five weeks.

He added the second platform of phases 6-8 development plan would be also loaded within a month.
“Refinery of Phase 6 has been already fed with sour gas,” said the official, adding Phase 6 would come on stream in the upcoming weeks.
He said the development plan of phases 6-8 faced no problem in the onshore operations, reiterating that only Phase 6 of SP gas field would be put into operation by the end of current Iranian year (March 19).
Peteropars Company manager for logistical affairs of South Pars field’s phases 6-8 previously announced that the SPD7 platform of Phase 6 would be installed in late November.
Ali Ne’matollahi told PIN the platform of Phase 8 would be constructed this month and SPD7 would be transferred to Aghajari to inject gas into oilfields.
The company would give first priority to the running of Phase 8 to prevent gas shortage in the upcoming winter, said the official.
“According to the forecast, the first phase of the development plan of phases 6-8 is expected to come on stream by mid-December 2007,” Ne’matollahi added.
The Petropars official said the gas produced by Phase 8 would be sweetened and injected into the cross-country grid for a limited period, reiterating that the phase would be given top priority to meet the growing need in winter.
“Hookup operations of SPD9 platform of Phase 8 are underway,” said the logistics manager, explaining the operations included the connection of different parts of the platform with the wells and pipelines transferring gas to the land.
The platform of Phase 8 was installed last May and phases 2 and 3 were supplying its gas at early stage, said the manager, adding the gas of Phase 8 would be transferred to the refinery next month.
When phases 6-8 go on stream, 104 million cubic meters of sour gas will be pumped to Aghajari through a 56-inch pipeline daily and will be injected into oilfields.
Iran’s Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari had already 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 Nozari as saying.
The minister 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.
Phases 1-5 have so far come on stream. 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.