Azerbaijan, Baku, June 11/Trend M. Moezzi
Contractors working on Iran's joint South Pars oil and gas field are prohibited from importing pipe for sour gas.
The ban comes as domestic manufacturers start building a new generation of pipeline for transporting sour gas for the first time, Mehr news agency reports.
Because of sour gas's corrosive nature, special pipes using corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA) have to be used in its transfer. Iran's first manufacturer of Inconel pipes earned its technical approval last week, Mousa Souri, the managing director for South Pars Oil and Gas Company, said . Inocel is a type of CRA.
South Pars contractors have been notified that they should communicate with domestic pipe producers about what they need.
Right now, Iran has the capacity to build pipelines for 2 to 4 South Pars phases.
South Pars Oil and Gas Company has signed a contract for more than $163 million (USD) with domestic companies to manufacture pipes, Souri said.