South Pars (Phase 14)

Location

The South Pars (Phase 14) gas field is located offshore in the Iranian waters of the Persian Gulf. Specifically, it is situated at coordinates 26.8614, 52.1813 (WGS 84).

Discovery and Development

The South Pars gas field, including Phase 14, was discovered by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in 1990. Phase 14 is part of the larger South Pars complex, which is the northern half of the supergiant North Dome field that also extends into Qatari waters.

Operator and Ownership

The South Pars (Phase 14) gas field is operated and owned entirely by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

Project Details

• Phase 14 is part of the broader South Pars development project, which is being developed in multiple phases.
• This phase is dedicated to the Persian LNG project and was initially a joint development between NIOC, Shell, and Repsol. However, due to delays and the re-imposition of US sanctions, the project saw significant changes in its development partners.

Production

• The production design capacity for Phase 14 includes:
  • Gas: 18,250 million cubic meters per year (approximately 50 million cubic meters per day).
  • Gas Condensate: 27.38 million barrels per year.

Infrastructure

• The phase involves the installation of production platforms. Specifically, the third production platform for Phase 14 was on course for start-up as of August 2019.

Production Start

• Phase 14 of the South Pars gas field began production in 2021.

Reserves

• The South Pars field as a whole is estimated to hold approximately 14 trillion cubic meters of recoverable gas reserves and 18 billion barrels of recoverable liquefied natural gas (LNG) reserves in the Iranian waters.

Challenges and Developments

• The development of Phase 14, like other phases of the South Pars project, has faced delays and challenges, particularly following the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) in 2018. This led to the re-imposition of economic sanctions and the withdrawal of international companies such as Total and Shell from the project.

Current Status

• As of the latest updates, Phase 14 is operational and contributing to the overall production capacity of the South Pars field. However, the project's progress has been influenced by the geopolitical and economic conditions affecting Iran's oil and gas sector.