Balal

Location

The Balal gas field is situated approximately 100 km southwest of Lavan Island and 40 km southeast of the South Pars gas field, near the maritime boundary between Iran and Qatar.

Field Characteristics

• The field is estimated to hold 170 billion cubic meters of gas in reserve and has proven gas condensate reserves of more than 100 million barrels.
• It is part of the larger South Pars gas field complex but is specifically known as the East Wing of the South Pars Gas Field Development.

Development Plan

• The development of the Balal gas field is being undertaken by Petropars, a leading Iranian contractor for upstream oil and gas projects, under a contract with Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
• The project involves the construction of an offshore processing platform, for which Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC) is responsible for building the topsides, and Iran Marine Industrial Company (SADRA) is constructing the jacket.
• The platform will include a four-floor deck weighing about 2,300 tons, which is expected to be completed within three years.

Drilling and Production

• Drilling operations include the drilling of eight wells: one exploratory-appraisal well, one learning well, and six development wells. The wells are expected to have an average depth of about 4,200 meters.
• A pilot well has already been drilled to support the design for the other wells.
• The targeted production rate is up to 500 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of gas and 15,000 barrels per day (b/d) of condensate.

Infrastructure

• The project includes the installation of a 20-inch offshore pipeline with a 4.5-inch piggy-back line, approximately 30 kilometers long, to transport raw offshore production to the SPD 12A platform and then to the phase 12 refinery.
• A relief platform connected by a bridge to the wellhead platform is also part of the infrastructure.

Timeline

• Drilling operations are expected to begin after the completion of the jacket, anticipated by mid-March 2024.
• The overall drilling operations are expected to be completed within 30 months.
• Full production is anticipated to start within the next two years, with the project fully operational by around 2027 at the earliest.

Technological Innovations

• In addition to traditional drilling and production methods, NIOC has also been using nanofluids for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Surmeh reservoir of the Belal field, marking the first such application in Iran.

This project is a significant part of Iran's efforts to increase its gas and condensate production from the Persian Gulf, contributing to the country's energy sector development.