TEHRAN – Iran’s South Pars gas processing plants are operating at full readiness and maintaining stable, uninterrupted production despite rising demand as colder weather sets in, the head of the South Pars Gas Complex said.

Gholamabbas Hosseini said all 13 refineries at South Pars were fully prepared, with round-the-clock efforts by specialist staff ensuring continuous gas output as consumption increases nationwide.

He said the complex, the country’s largest gas production hub, plays a critical role in securing energy supplies during winter, adding that detailed planning, preventive maintenance, timely procurement of equipment and close coordination among operational and support units had helped ensure safe operations through the cold season.

Hosseini also urged the public to cooperate in managing consumption, saying that stable gas supply during peak winter demand depends not only on industry efforts but also on responsible use by consumers.

He called on households to observe consumption guidelines, adjust heating temperatures, improve insulation and avoid unnecessary use, stressing that such measures help maintain the stability of the national gas network.

The South Pars gas field, a colossal shared reservoir with Qatar's North Dome field, stands as a cornerstone of Iran's economic and strategic plans. This single field holds approximately 40 percent of Iran's total natural gas reserves and about eight percent of the world's known reserves, making it the planet's largest known gas field. Its immense scale is a beacon of national potential.

Operated in 24 progressive phases, its development has transformed Iran's energy landscape. At peak capacity, South Pars produces over 700 million cubic meters of rich natural gas daily, supplying over 70% of Iran's domestic gas consumption. This has been pivotal in ending gas shortages for industries and households, while also providing vast amounts of ethane, propane, butane, and condensate as feedstock for the nation's burgeoning petrochemical sector. The resulting industrial diversification adds billions in annual value, far beyond raw material export.

Furthermore, the field's development has spurred massive infrastructure and downstream investment, creating hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and fostering advanced technical expertise within the country. Its strategic location in the Persian Gulf also enhances Iran's role in regional and global energy security. While challenges remain, the successful harnessing of South Pars has undeniably fortified Iran's energy independence, provided a critical engine for industrial growth, and cemented its status as a global energy superpower for decades to come.

The South Pars gas field, while a singular geological reservoir, does not feature standalone "refineries" in the traditional crude oil sense. Instead, its massive output is processed through an integrated network of sophisticated gas processing and treatment trains, fractionation complexes, and associated petrochemical plants, primarily located in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) in Asaluyeh, Iran. This integrated system is the true engine of downstream value creation from the field.

Each of the 24 development phases of South Pars typically includes one or more gas treatment trains. These massive facilities separate raw wellhead gas into its core components: sweet, dry methane for the national gas grid, and a stream of valuable natural gas liquids (NGLs) and condensate. The recovered NGLs are then piped to giant fractionation complexes (like the Bid Boland gas refinery). Here, they are separated into pure ethane (the primary feedstock for Iran's polymer industry), propane, butane (commercial LPG), and pentane-plus.

The true transformative power, however, lies in the downstream petrochemical clusters that have risen alongside the gas plants. Leveraging the abundant and cost-effective ethane and methane from South Pars, Iran has established a world-class petrochemical hub. These plants do not "refine" gas but chemically transform it into high-value products like ethylene, polyethylene, methanol, and ammonia-based fertilizers. This leap from raw material export to advanced manufacturing is South Pars's most significant economic legacy.

Therefore, while the term "refineries" may be a colloquial simplification, the processing infrastructure of South Pars represents a colossal industrial achievement. It ensures Iran's domestic energy security, supplies vital feedstocks to a thriving export-oriented petrochemical sector, and forms the backbone of the nation's non-oil economy, turning natural gas into a springboard for industrial diversification and technological advancement.

EF/MA