TEHRAN- The oil minister, while appreciating the tireless efforts of operational personnel in the South Pars region, said a new record has been set in the South Pars gas field, and the amount of gas extracted from this field has reached about 725 million cubic meters (mcm) per day.

Mohsen Paknejad made the remarks on the sidelines of a visit to the gas platforms located in the South Pars field, on Monday, and while appreciating the efforts and activities of oil industry personnel working in this operational region, stated: “This region is the first link in the chain of gas production, processing, transmission, and distribution in the country. The employees of Pars Oil and Gas Company, through round-the-clock and difficult work in harsh conditions on the platforms, produce gas and deliver it to our compatriots so that homes remain warm, industry keeps turning, value is added in areas like petrochemicals, and other defined gas uses are supplied.”

Referring to the fact that over the past approximately 14 months, through the efforts of Pars Oil and Gas Company employees, 13 new wells have been drilled in the South Pars field, adding about 22 million cubic meters per day to the country's raw gas extraction, he said: “This amount of increase in extraction is considered a significant figure given the energy imbalance conditions we are facing.”

The minister continued: “Based on the plans made, it is predicted that by the end of this year (within the next two and a half months), about 4 more new wells will become operational as part of an in-field drilling plan. Considering these wells, the total increase in extraction from South Pars will reach about 30 million cubic meters per day.”

Pointing to the cold weather and severe drop in temperatures across the country and the increase in gas consumption in various sectors in recent days, Paknejad said: “Fortunately, under these very conditions, a new record has been set in the South Pars gas field, and the amount of gas extracted from this field has reached about 725 million cubic meters per day.”

Emphasizing that recording such a figure for gas extraction from the South Pars field is unprecedented compared to previous years, he added: “However, the gas imbalance amount increases during severe cold conditions. The reason for this imbalance is that with the drop in temperature and the increase in cold weather, gas consumption in the household, commercial, and specific industry sectors increases sharply. Naturally, under such conditions, other gas uses must be managed.”

MA