Ahvaz Gas Turbine Restoration Boosts Oil Supply by 750K bpd

EghtesadOnline: Experts of the National Iranian Oil Company have restored a dilapidated gas-powered turbine in Ahvaz pumping station, Khuzestan Province, which has boosted the transfer of crude oil to refineries and export terminals, NISOC's deputy for production said on Saturday.

News ID: ۷۸۳۶۵۵

12 August 2018

“The turbine, which was not used for many years due to severe technical problems, has now become operational … It has increased the station's transfer capacity to 750,000 barrels per day," Saeed Kouti was also quoted as saying by Shana. According to the official, all the maintenance procedures have been conducted by domestic experts, which have been filmed so that the experience could be used on similar occasions.

Kouti noted that with the gas turbine back on track, the electrical pumps will shut down and this helps "reduce the station's power consumption by up to 8 megawatts".

The official noted that the move is in line with NISOC's bid to boost production capacity by reviving its old infrastructure and helping save energy in the southern province that has been gripped with severe power shortages this summer, according to Financial Tribune.

Other Stations

The company has renovated several other oil pumping stations in the past few weeks.

"The launch of major pumping stations has made it possible to put three 100,000-barrel stations and another with a capacity of 450,000 barrels on standby to ensure the sustainable supply of oil," NISOC's Managing Director Bijan Alipour said last week.

Pumping stations are deployed along pipelines with large diameters to help increase the flow of crude oil and petroleum products.

According to previous reports, Iran has achieved self-sufficiency in the production of solar gas turbines for oil delivery via pipelines.

Alipour added that in the past few years, none of NISOC’s pumping stations was on standby due to its dilapidated infrastructure, which could have created problems for delivering feedstock to refineries and exports. As the largest subsidiary of Iran's state oil company, NISOC is responsible for developing 65 oil and gas fields in the south, containing some 330 billion barrels of oil reservoirs and nearly 12 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Iran’s oil exports stood at 2.3 million barrels per day during the first four months of the current fiscal year that started on March 21, higher than its average volume over the past year. Noting that pumping stations in Omidiyeh are working well, Alipour said a pumping station in Goureh, Bushehr Province, has been renovated and launched a month ago, while another station at the site is on standby.

According to NISOC, the capacity of pumping station in West Karun Block is slated to increase further, which will boost the oil transfer capacity to Bahregan oil region in the Persian Gulf.