A senior Iranian energy official says the country will launch two more major phases of the huge South Pars gas field project in the Persian Gulf in the second half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20). 

Ali Akbar Sha’banpour, deputy chief of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC), has announced the news, saying that Phases 17 and 18 of the South Pars gas field will come on stream and boost the country’s natural gas output, Iran’s Petro Energy Information Network (SHANA) reported Wednesday.

The official underlined the significance of the two phases, adding that their launch will pave the way for the extraction of natural gas from the two major reservoirs.

Iran has over 20 projects in South Pars. More than a dozen phases have been made operational; several will be fully developed soon, and the remaining phases are still to be awarded to companies.

Earlier in May , Sha’banpour said Iran will take over Qatar in production of natural gas from the key field that both countries share as Tehran expects a significant rise in production from South Pars before March 2017.

The huge offshore field 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 field is estimated to contain a significant amount of natural gas, accounting for about eight percent of the world’s reserves, and approximately 18 billion barrels of condensate.

Sha’banpour told reporters last month that Iran’s production of natural gas from the field – called the North Dome by Qatar – will surpass 500 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) once several ongoing projects are fully developed.