The head of Pars Oil and Gas Company said the first stage of South Pars Phase 11 development has been completed, with output from the border section of the shared field reaching 1 billion cubic feet per day, or about 28 million cubic meters.
Touraj Dehqani said that drilling, completion and perforation of the 12th well at the SPD11B platform location had been finished. The work raised the platform's nominal capacity to 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day, he said, meaning the first stage of the phase's development plan has reached its final capacity.
Dehqani called the milestone a turning point in developing the last border phase of South Pars. Because of the phase's location along the field's border, he said, increasing output is part of the company's strategy to protect Iran's share of production from the shared reservoir and maximize the field's capacity.
He said work on the section has moved quickly over the past two years under the 14th government, with new wells coming online in succession. The 12th well brings the location to its nominal capacity, equal to about 28 million cubic meters of rich gas per day.
Dehqani described Phase 11 as one of the most strategic and among the last development phases of the shared field. After years of ups and downs, he said, development has become a steady operation. With maintaining and increasing South Pars output a top priority for the industry, he said, completing this section and opening new drilling fronts directly strengthens the country's stable gas supply and protects Iran's interests in the reservoir.
Phase 11 is the last major development phase of the world's largest gas field. Because it sits in the most border-adjacent part of the shared field, it is important for both economic and national interests, officials say. The project, valued at nearly $4 billion, aims to reach steady production of 2 billion cubic feet of raw gas per day. The government says its prioritization of the project has yielded significant results.
The development plan calls for building and installing offshore facilities at two border locations and drilling 27 wells. As new wells enter production, officials say they will help raise output from South Pars and ease the gas demand crisis.
Part of the drilling overlapped with the 12-day war, which Iranian officials call the third imposed war. The conflict brought widespread logistical restrictions, higher operational risks and difficulty securing equipment and support. Even so, round-the-clock work by field personnel, technical specialists and support crews brought two new wells online during that period, raising the field's output capacity.
Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said earlier that work on Phase 11 has gained momentum, citing steps taken over the past two years to increase gas production and supply.
Officials say continuing these programs will further strengthen the phase's role in providing stable feedstock to the national gas network, particularly during the cold months of the year.