TEHRAN - Platform 13C, the third platform of phase 13 of Iran’s South Pars gas field’s development project, officially started sending gas to the refinery on Friday, August 21, Public Relations Department of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC), which is in charge of developing the gas field, announced.

Payam Motamed, the operator of phase 13 of developing South Pars, put the gas sent from this platform to the onshore refinery at 400 million cubic feet.

According to Motamed, this platform is connected through an 18-inch pipeline to Platform 13A, and the gas extracted from the 13C is sent to the 13A through the mentioned pipeline after which it is transmitted to the refinery.

He said that the Platform 13C of South Pars, along with all its accessories, including jacket, communication tower, and torch structure, weighs about 7,000 tons.

This platform was built in Bushehr Yard and the installation and commissioning stages of this platform were all carried out by domestic experts and engineers.

Motamed put the current capacity of phase 13 offshore platforms at 43 million cubic meters (mcm) per day and said that 28.5 mcm of this figure is related to the two platforms of 13B and 13D from the first phase of this project which started operating two years ago.

“The new platform has added 14.2 million cubic meters to the previous 28.5 mcm,” he said.

Mentioning the 13A platform, which is the last platform of phase 13, the official said: "This platform is the last link in completing the production chain in the South Pars Phase 13 development project, and after completing its development the gas extraction capacity of this phase will reach 56 million cubic meters.”

Platform 13C was installed on its designated offshore spot in early March.

The first platform of phase 13 (namely 13B) was installed on its designated offshore spot in early December 2018 and the mentioned platform along with the second one (13D) became operational in late January 2019.

South Pars gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf, covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which, called South Pars, are in Iran’s territorial waters. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers, called North Dome, are situated in Qatar’s territorial waters.

EF/MA