Iran has 15.8% of the world's gas reserves (812 trillion cu ft), of which between 8-10% lies in the South Pars gas field, the largest in the world. Iran's gas reserves are the world's second largest, exceeded only by those of Russia. The South Pars gas field, which is set to increase Iran's gas exports massively, straddles the border between Qatari and Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. It was discovered by Qatar in 1971 and identified as a gas resource by Iran in 1988. Almost half of the field's 14 sub-fields have been awarded. The remaining ones are in the process of being tendered. South Pars is due to be developed in up to 30 phases over at least 25 years, eventually producing 25,000 million cu ft per day and 1 million bpd of condensate. Among the companies already involved in South Pars are TotalFinaElf, ENI SpA and Enterprise Oil PLC, while Royal Dutch/Shell Group and BP PLC are also bidding for exploration licences. With 4 huge gas refineries, Iran's present gas refining capacity is 180 million cubic metres per day.
The following table comprises fields containing natural gas with no oil ("non-associated" fields).
| Name |
Description |
Reserves |
Output |
Main operators |
Main (sub)contractors; main suppliers |
Dates |
| SOUTH PARS |
The South Pars field in the Persian Gulf is shared
by Iran and Qatar |
|
|
|
|
|
| South Pars phase 1 |
|
280 Tcf; 17 billion barrels of liquids |
8 billion cfpd |
Petropars (60% owned by NIOC) |
Petroleum Development and Engineering Company (PEDEC,
affiliated to NIOC) |
Identified in 1988; onstream 2002 |
| (South Pars, phase 1) |
Gas platform, 6400 tons |
|
|
|
Samsung, Sadra |
Onstream 2002 |
| South Pars phases 2 & 3 |
|
|
Eventually 2 billion cfpd + 80,000 bpd of condensates |
TotalFinaElf, Gazprom, Petronas |
|
|
| South Pars phases 4 & 5 |
|
|
Eventually 80,000 bpd of condensate + 1 million tons of LPG annually and also over 1 million tons of ethane a year |
Agip Iran (subsid. of Eni), Petropars; NIOC to take over after project is on-stream |
|
Onstream 2004?5 |
| South Pars, phases 6-8 |
platforms, pipeline to shore, gas processing and liquids extraction plant |
|
3 billion cfpd of natural gas and 120,000 bpd of condensate |
Petropars (with Enterprise Oil (owned by Shell), possibly to be replaced by Statoil)
Statoil is the frontrunner for buy-back contract |
|
|
| South Pars, phases 9-12 |
domestic market, LNG export, condensate production |
|
|
|
9 and 10: LG (Korea) or Technip-Coflexip to sign a contract soon |
Project starts 2002 |
| Tabnak |
|
14,820 bn cf |
56 mm cm per day |
|
National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) + a Chinese and an Iranian company |
Project starts 2002 |
| Dorra |
Territory disputed by Kuwait |
7?13 Tcf |
|
|
|
|
| North Pars |
Natural gas, for re-injection into oilfields |
48 Tcf |
Aiming for 3.6 billion cfpd |
|
|
|
| 4 natural gas processing trains |
|
|
|
|
Hyundai |
|
| Khuff (Dalan) reservoir |
Part of Salman oilfield |
6.4 Tcf |
May reach 500 Mmcf/d + 120,000 bbl/d of crude oil |
NIOC |
|
|
| Aghar |
Fars province |
13 Tcf |
600 Mmcf/d |
National Iranian Gas Company |
|
Project started 1995 |
| Dalan |
Fars province |
13 Tcf |
800 Mmcf/d |
NIGC |
|
Project started 1995 |
| Tabnak |
located in southern Iran |
14 Tcf |
|
|
|
|
| Homa field |
southern Fars |
4 Tcf |
|
|
|
|
| Zireh field |
in Bushehr province |
800 Bcf |
|
|
|
|
| Dalan |
Incl 40mw power plant |
|
800 Mmcf/d |
NIGC |
|
Project started 1995 |