Iran to Start Ten Refineries in South Pars Region

Iran will bring online 10 new refineries in the South Pars region, according to country’s oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.

Zanganeh said on Saturday that the refineries are to be constructed for phases 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the massive South Pars offshore gas field, reports Press TV.

He added that six new offshore platforms will also come online in the South Pars region.

Iran would add 100 million cubic meters per day of gas to its total production by March next year when new phases of South Pars will have become operational, the minister said.

South Pars covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which are in Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers are situated in Qatar's territorial waters.

The gas field is estimated to contain 14 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, about eight percent of the world's reserves, and more than 18 billion barrels of condensate.