Iran’s North Pars gas field development entered a new phase during the first two years of the 14th administration, from August 2024 to August 2026, as engineering studies concluded, contract packages were finalized and work began on the first offshore structure.
The development of an offshore gas field requires completing a complex chain of reservoir studies, engineering, facility design, seabed surveys, development architecture definition, pipeline routing and gas delivery planning before any offshore installation or drilling can occur. During this period, authorities resolved most prerequisites for moving the project into execution, linking various components of the North Pars development chain. The result has opened new development fronts in one of the Persian Gulf’s largest gas fields and established the technical and operational groundwork for a gradual transition to construction, drilling and offshore facility installation.
Basic design completion stabilizes field development architecture
A key achievement was completing basic design studies for the North Pars field development, a critical stage bridging conceptual studies and project execution. This phase defines work packages, tender documents and contractor selection. Decisions made during basic design directly affect capital costs, project timelines, operational quality, facility safety and future expansion potential. Completing this stage has enabled a more coordinated move into detailed design, facility construction, drilling and offshore equipment installation.
First offshore step: Phase 1 jacket project begins
The project to build and install the jacket for Phase 1 reached contractor selection and active construction, marking the transition from engineering to field execution. Following jacket installation, the site will be ready for process facilities and drilling operations. Simultaneously, construction of the first North Pars platform has been contracted. Advancing these two major offshore packages together forms a significant portion of the Phase 1 topsides preparation.
Drilling: The critical link from reservoir capacity to production
During the two-year period, tendering for the Phase 1 drilling contractor also moved forward through its procedural steps. Development well drilling remains one of the most complex, costly and time-consuming aspects of offshore field development, and its schedule coordination with jacket and platform construction is decisive for the overall project timeline. Running drilling preparations in parallel with offshore facilities work is particularly important for schedule management and avoiding bottlenecks between structure readiness and reservoir access.
From reservoir to shore: Gas destination determined
The North Pars gas field, with estimated reserves of 1.668 trillion cubic meters and recoverable gas of 1.337 trillion cubic meters, will reach full development architecture only when the gas transport route to shore and processing destination are determined under an optimal technical and economic scenario within an integrated chain. Accordingly, determining the gas receipt destination and distribution and processing methods has been a major engineering focus over the past two years.
Studies to finalize the gas receipt destination were completed during this period, alongside feasibility and conceptual studies for gas distribution and processing. These studies matter because selecting the optimal transport and processing scenario must integrate existing infrastructure capacity, pipeline length and routing, transmission pressure, process requirements, network reliability and capital and operating costs.
Thus, while upstream and offshore work proceeds, downstream development studies have advanced to ensure the production chain from reservoir to delivery point follows a coherent technical architecture.
Supporting studies for offshore development
Parallel to main development fronts, environmental impact assessments, passive defense measures and seabed studies for North Pars offshore facilities were conducted during the 14th administration. Seabed studies provide foundation and structural design data, geotechnical assessments and installation requirements. Environmental studies are essential to identify and manage potential impacts from drilling, installation and development operations on the marine environment, while passive defense considerations address critical infrastructure resilience from the earliest design stages.
Integrating these studies into the engineering process advances field development not solely on production capacity but on safety requirements, operational sustainability and risk management, applying value engineering and optimization to reduce capital costs.
3D seismic survey refines subsurface picture
More precise reservoir characterization has been another focus over the past two years, leading to a defined project for acquisition, processing and interpretation of 3D seismic data. Such data are among the most important tools for understanding reservoir structure, interpreting layer geometry and improving geological and reservoir models. Greater accuracy in reservoir data enables more confident decisions on development well placement and subsequent expansion planning, while reducing technical risk in drilling and development operations.
Decommissioning legacy facilities clears path for future development
Alongside new facility design and preparation, the project is addressing remnants of prior activities. Following resolution of development work packages, plans call for securing and decommissioning seven existing wells and removing the current offshore structure. Proper well abandonment and removal of out-of-service structures are professional requirements for hydrocarbon field management. Beyond reducing health, safety and environmental risks and protecting the marine environment, these operations create conditions for safe new facility installation and integrated operational area management.
North Pars: Development fronts taking shape
The full scope of actions from August 2024 to August 2026 shows the North Pars development process focused on simultaneous progress across engineering, contracting, subsurface, offshore facilities and marine works – from basic design completion and gas destination studies to jacket construction start, platform contractor selection, drilling tenders and seismic and well-decommissioning packages.
The significance of this period lies in reducing uncertainties and preparing the project execution chain. In oil industry projects, the gap between development decision and production involves dozens of engineering decisions, tenders, contracts, construction, drilling, installation and startup – each affecting project time, cost, quality and reliability.
Over these two years, North Pars has completed a major portion of that journey. With the first offshore package entering execution and key Phase 1 packages resolved, the project now stands closer than ever to turning engineering plans, reservoir studies and contract documents into wells, offshore structures, pipelines and processing facilities at sea.