The newly discovered Takht-e gas field in southern province of Fars has an estimated economic value of about $45 billion, an Oil Ministry official said, calling it one of the country’s most significant gas discoveries in the past two decades.
Mohyeddin Jafari, director of exploration at the National Iranian Oil Company, said the field is located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Khonj and roughly 35 kilometers from the older Shanul and Homa gas fields in Fars province.
The field contains an estimated 7.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in place, Jafari said.
The gas is sweet, meaning it does not require a desulfurization process, which could shorten the development and processing timeline compared with sour-gas fields, he said.
Equivalent to 15 Years of South Pars Production
Jafari said the recoverable gas volume at Takht-e is equivalent to about 15 years of production from a standard phase of the giant South Pars gas field, potentially giving the discovery a significant role in Iran’s future gas supply.
The field stretches about 50 kilometers in length and 4 kilometers in width. Its geological structure is among the most complex exploration structures discovered in Iran over the past 20 years, Jafari said.
Multiple repetitions of geological layers and extensive faulting in the upper parts of the reservoir complicated exploration efforts. The exploration well was drilled to a depth of about 5 kilometers before reaching the reservoir, where a substantial gas accumulation was identified across a thickness of about 450 meters, he said.
20m Barrels of Recoverable Condensate
The Takht-e field also contains about 27 million barrels of gas condensate, of which roughly 20 million barrels are recoverable, Jafari said.
Combined with the gas reserves, the condensate would add significantly to the field’s economic value, he said, putting the total value at about $45 billion.
Drilling the Takht-e exploration well alone took about 17 months. After the exploration work and final testing were completed, the resulting data underwent detailed analysis, Jafari said.
An Entirely Iranian Discovery
Jafari said all stages of the Takht-e discovery, from geological studies and geophysical surveys to drilling, were carried out using Iranian expertise.
The technology, equipment and tools used in the operation were also domestically developed, and no foreign companies or personnel were needed for technical, equipment or engineering work, he said.
Jafari described Takht-e as a fully Iranian discovery and said it demonstrates that Iran has developed the technical, engineering and specialist capabilities needed to complete complex oil and gas exploration projects without relying on foreign expertise.