TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) – Deputy oil minister announced a 50 per cent increase in the export of gas condensate since the beginning of the current Iranian year.

Roknodin Javadi stated that the plan to produce one million barrels of Iranian oil in the post-sanction era merely pertains to crude oil; “we hold a separate program for production and export of gas condensate," he asserted.

Managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) announced that the implementation of new phases of South Pars oilfield has increased the country’s gas condensate production capacity; “consequently, we have currently stored some amount of gas condensate on the water which is due to a technical problem in one of the Chinese refineries as well as the increased production in South Pars."

Estimating that the lifting of sanctions will lead to a soar in the country’s export volume of gas condensate, Javadi said “unlike gas condensate, no crude oil cargo has been stored on the water.”

He stressed that the country’s production capacity of gas condensate has reached more than 600 thousand barrels a day adding “the operation of new phases of South Pars until the next two years will increase the production capacity to one million barrels per day.”

The official emphasized that by the implementation of Persian Gulf Star Refinery and Siraf Condensate Refinery Complex, Iran’s export of gas condensate will decline to zero since the whole production will be consumed by the new refineries; “however, we are forced to export gas condensate until then,” he asserted.

“Since the beginning of the current year (21 March 2015) , gas condensate export volume has increased by 50 per cent,” noted Javadi maintaining “despite supplying refineries and petrochemical plants, about 400 thousand barrels of gas condensate is being exported from Iran to the world markets.”

Seyed Pirouz Mousavi, the Managing Director of the Iranian Oil Terminals Company (IOTC), has recently pointed to the new record in export of gas condensate adding “currently, three oil tankers can get loaded simultaneously at Assaluyeh gas terminal.”

During the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, 807 thousand oil tankers have loaded in Assaluyeh gas terminal.

By Mehr News Agency