Another gas rig comes on line at Iranian offshore reserve in Persian Gulf

Iran Press TV

Friday, 20 March 2020 6:18 PM

Iran has started pumping natural gas from a new offshore drilling rig in the Persian Gulf while a local contractor finishes installation for a separate platform in the region as development efforts continue in Iran's giant energy sector despite a series of tough sanctions imposed by the United States.

Reports in the local media on Friday suggested that production of gas had started from a fourth rig at Phase 14 of the South Pars, the largest gas field in the world which is shared between Iran and Qatar.

The rig, a super-size structure fully built inside Iran, had been installed at a location some 100 kilometers off the port of Kangan in southern Iran in early February.

The SPD-14D is now pumping 14.2 million cubic meters (mcm) per day of natural gas from the offshore field, bringing the total production from Phase 14 of South Pars to 56 mcm a day.

Other reports said Iranian engineers and technicians had ended installations for extra equipment at a separate drilling rig in the adjacent Phase 13 of South Pars late on Thursday.

The reports said the platform was the third of a group of four rigs that would bring total gas production from Phase 13 to 56 mcm per day.

Iran's rapid development of South Pars over the past Persian calendar year ending on Thursday March 19 come despite mounting difficulties facing the government in accessing technology and finances because of the American sanctions.

Giant international energy firms like France's Total and China's CNPC withdrew from a major agreement to develop Phase 11 of the field after the United States imposed its unilateral sanctions on Iran in November 218.

Production from the sprawling gas field is now exceeding 700 mcm per day thanks to homegrown efforts and extensive government support.