BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The first turboexpander produced by Iran's Petropars Company was put into operation at the 10th refinery that is processing gas extracted from 19th phase of Iran-Qatar joint South Pars gas field (called North Dome in Qatar), said Hamid Reza Masoudi managing director of Iran's Petropars Operation and Management Company (POMC), Trend reports citing the POMC.
According to Masoudi, with the commissioning of this supply, the plant's ethane production has increased by about 3.5 times.
He added that despite US sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry, the turboexpander was manufactured by local experts without the support of foreign companies, and a second turboexpander will be commissioned next month.
Masoudi stressed that with Iran's ethane gas production potential has increased the commissioning of this equipment and will have a positive impact on the development of the associated downstream industry.
The gas extracted from the 19th phase of the South Pars gas field is transported to the 10th refinery for processing. The plant produces 50 million cubic meters of sweet gas, 77,000 barrels of gas condensate, 2,400 tons of ethane, 1,800 tons of propane, 1,100 tons of butane and 320 tons of sulfur per day.
The proven reserves of the South Pars Gas Field are estimated at 51 trillion cubic meters of gas, of which 36 trillion are extractable. At present, Iran's daily gas production from the South Pars gas field is more than 700 million cubic meters. Iran has so far spent $33 billion on projects related to the South Pars gas field.
Gas from Iran's South Pars gas field is transported to refineries in the Pars Special Energy Economic Zone in the port city of Asaluyeh in Iran's southern Bushehr province via a gas pipeline.
Around 75 percent of Iran's gas is supplied by this field.