Pointing to the installation of Platform 19A last week, the official said Platform 21, weighing 2,700 tons, is being installed with the help of domestic expertise. He expected the initial installation process to be over by the end of July, which would increase SP's gas production capacity by 28 mcm/d.
"Development of phases 20 and 21 is aimed at injecting at least 50 mcm of gas to the national gas grid and producing 77,000 barrels of gas condensates, 400 tons of sulfur for export as well as 1 million tons of ethane a day to provide domestic petrochemical plants with feedstock.
According to Rahmani, Platform 21, whose construction created jobs for 600 people, was loaded from Bandar Abbas and Khorramshahr ports two weeks ago along with Platform 19, which was installed in under two days using the Oceanic 5000 crane ship and Abouzar 110 vessel. Asked about the operations in Phase 21, he said work there should be completed by the end of September.
Internal Expertise
"Not long ago, international oil giants, namely Shell and Total, played a major role not only in building but also installing platforms," said Hamid Rezaeian, managing director of Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Company.
"Now we rely on our own ISOICO experts who have indigenized the construction of complex platforms that can be developed within two years if the financial resources are available."
The South Pars mega gas project is being developed in 24 phases.
In related news, Ali Akbar Shabanpour, managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company, touched on the Oil Ministry's plans and policies to make better use of domestic human resources in the development of the South Pars fields, according to Financial Tribune.
"Since the start of South Pars operations in 1997, systematic efforts have been made to indigenize the platform construction industry," he said.
"Except for the platforms in phases 2 and 3, Iranian engineers and technicians have played a key role in constructing the other platforms. They are capable of not only manufacturing but also laying subsea pipelines to complete the offshore gas facilities," he said in a statement.