Iran's South Pars development plan enters 66th month
The development plan of five phases of Iran's giant South Pars gas field (phases 15-18 and phase 12) has entered its 66th month.
The mentioned phases were supposed to come on stream by the end of current Iranian year (March 20) but none of them is complete yet, Trend news agency reported referring to Mehr agency.
Phases 15 and 16 and phase 12 are now 90 per cent and 88 per cent complete, respectively, while the progress of phases 17 and 18 has reached 76 per cent.
Iran is currently producing 300 mcm of gas per day from South Pars located in the Persian Gulf. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had said that the gas field's production capacity would be doubled by September.
Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said in November that 775 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas per day could be extracted from South Pars after all its phases come on stream.
Iran has attached a priority on boosting gas production capacity from its joint oilfields with Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The country which sits on the world's second largest natural gas reserves after Russia, has been trying to enhance its gas production by increasing foreign and domestic investments, especially in its South Pars gas field.
South Pars is part of a wider gas field that is shared with Qatar.