For the French petroleum company TotalFinaElf Iran is a source of big interest. In the Assalouyeh area, in the south of Iran, the company has started extraction of gas from one of the biggest gas deposits in the open sea South Pars.
In several weeks production has reached the optimum mode of operation - 54 million cubic meters of gas daily, that makes half of daily consumption of France and 25 % of all Iranian production.
Meanwhile everything, that is produced, goes generally on providing for internal needs of Iran, but the number of consumers gradually can extend, in particular, due to Turkey. Today already 15 mines located on two platforms are put into operation, by the nearest autumn it is planned to increase their amount to 20. Then gas will be transported through two on-ground gas pipelines, each of 105 kms.
The South Pars deposit is located in the waters of the Persian Gulf and belongs both to Iran and Qatar. According to estimations of experts, the deposit totals to more than 13 billion cubic meters of gas.
"Such stocks of gas make South Pars one of the largest extracting complex of the world, in addition to all it is one of the major industrial projects realized by Iran during the last 25 years - it is estimated in 2 billion dollars", - emphasizes Michel Naylies, the general director of Total South Pars.
TotalFinaElf, occupying the fifth place in the world on volume of extraction - 2,2 million barrels daily, has invested in the project 800 million dollars. For realization of the project the company cooperates with Petronas and Gazprom, their share makes 30 % each against 40 % of TotalFinaElf?s.
It is supposed, that TotalFinaElf monthly will be able to receive about 50-60 million dollars, the sum, which will go on covering of costs of investment and for compensation of the costs connected to production.
The part of the deposit maintained by TotalFinaElf (South Pars ? 2 and ? 3), represents a small share in comparison with to the whole deposit, the development of which is determined in 14 phases. TotalFinaElf together with Petronas already has already answered the offer to participate in phases 11 and 12 within the framework of the program on export of the liquefied natural gas.
Speaking about the global development of South Pars (the deposit makes 20 % of all world reserves of gas), the Iranian authorities have determined their arrogant purposes.
But this way is full of dirty tricks. While TotalFinaElf, Petronas and Gazprom carry out their obligations on the 2nd and 3rd phases, realization of the first, which is carried out by the national Iranian company Noic, has not begun yet.
Author: Natalia Nohrina
