BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2.
Iran is collecting more than 17 million cubic meters of associated
gas from flaring sites per day, according to the country’s Ministry
of Petroleum.
The ministry said the achievement, alongside the implementation
of several contracts and projects, demonstrates continued progress
in the oil sector toward meeting its 2029 development targets and
improving the utilization of the country’s hydrocarbon
resources.
Collecting and processing flare gas in Iran creates significant
opportunities for supplying fuel to the petrochemical industry and
manufacturing high-value products. In this context, projects have
been identified and contracts drafted, with a focus on private
sector involvement. Beyond increasing the capacity for flare gas
collection, these initiatives foster investment, generate
employment, boost the operations of related industrial enterprises,
and contribute to a reduction in environmentally harmful gas
emissions.
One such initiative is the commissioning of the Dehloran (NGL
3100) processing plant, a project that involved an investment of
1.1 billion euros. The plant was built to collect and process flare
gas produced alongside oil at the Cheshmeh-Khosh, Paydar-e Gharb,
Danan, Sarvak, Azar, and Dehloran oil fields. It has the capacity
to process 240 million cubic feet (approximately 6.8 million cubic
meters) of gas per day. This plant plays a fundamental role in
collecting flare gas, gas produced alongside oil, from the
mentioned fields and in supplying feedstock to facilities within
the petrochemical sector. Under the planned program, nine flares
(where flare gas is currently burned off) in the region where these
fields are located will be extinguished.
In addition to major processing projects, the Ministry of
Petroleum has prioritized the delegation of flare gas collection
projects to the private sector. Several work packages have been
defined for the collection of flare gas within the operational area
of the National South Oil Company. Once the work under these
packages is completed, the country’s capacity for collecting flare
gas will increase significantly.
According to statistics, work has been completed and facilities
have been commissioned for 6 packages within the National South Oil
Company’s territory. Work is currently underway on 17 other
packages. Furthermore, 16 packages are at the contract-signing
stage, while 4 are in the process of being handed over to
contractors. The capacity for flare gas collection at the
commissioned facilities is reported to be approximately 78 million
cubic feet (about 2.2 million cubic meters) per day. Furthermore,
upon the full completion of the projects, there will be a total
capacity to collect 504 million cubic feet (nearly 4.3 million
cubic meters) of flare gas per day.
The ministry noted that the target is to collect 90% of flare
gas currently being burned off in the country by the end of
2028.
