Developing four South Pars phases postponed for a year

TEHRAN, Nov. 28 (MNA)-- Development of phases 15 to 18 of Iran’s South Pars gas field, which were scheduled to be operational by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2012), were postponed to the next year, oil minister Rostam Qasemi said. He declined to further comment on the issue. Qasemi has ordered all the contractors of the South Pars gas field development projects to work round the clock in three shifts to complete development of all phases, especially the phases 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The contractors should report at least 2 percent growth in their overall progress each month, the minister said. The South Pars gas field is shared by Iran and Qatar. The Iranian share, which is divided into 29 phases, has about 14 trillion cubic meters of gas, or about eight percent of the total world reserves, and more than 18 billion barrels of liquefied natural gas resources.