Completion of Jacket Fabrication and Installation, Deployment of the Drilling Rig, Successful Drilling of the First Development Well, and Approximately 45% Progress in the Engineering, Fabrication, and Installation of the Belal Gas Field Platform
Petropars Group, one of Iran’s largest Exploration and Production (E&P) companies and the executive arm of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), has established an outstanding and long-standing track record in the design, management, and execution of both shared and independent oil and gas field development projects across the country.
Having successfully developed more than 40% of the gas production facilities in the South Pars Joint Field, Petropars Group is also responsible for the development of the Belal Gas Field. Over the course of less than 20 months during the Fourteenth Administration, the company has achieved significant milestones in this project, including the completion of jacket fabrication and installation, deployment of the drilling rig, driving of conductor pipes for eight wells, execution of tie-back operations for the existing BLG-8 exploratory/appraisal wellbore sections (32", 24", and 16"), completion of drilling operations for the first appraisal/development well (BLG-10), and substantial progress in the fabrication of the offshore production platform topside.
According to the Public Relations and International Affairs Department of Petropars Group, Dr. Hamidreza Saqafi, Chief Executive Officer of Petropars Group, emphasized that the Belal Gas Field development project is progressing rapidly, safely, and with a high degree of technical precision.
He stated:
"Through the dedicated efforts and expertise of Petropars specialists, together with the support of our clients, the National Iranian Oil Company, Pars Oil and Gas Company, and our execution contractors, remarkable achievements have been realized in the development of this field during the Fourteenth Administration, under the guidance and support of the Minister of Petroleum and the Managing Director of NIOC."
Commenting on the topside fabrication activities, Dr. Saqafi added:
"The engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) section of the project has currently achieved approximately 45% overall progress. Following the successful installation of the second deck level, the major associated equipment has been positioned accordingly, while the topside steel structure itself has reached 56% completion. In accordance with the project schedule, installation of the third deck level is expected within the next two weeks. Furthermore, with the existing project planning, ancillary facilities such as the flare tower and interconnecting bridges are anticipated to be completed ahead of schedule."
Farshid Shahriari, Project Manager for the Belal Gas Field Development at Petropars Group, elaborated on the technical aspects of the project, stating that the fabrication of the four-legged offshore jacket, standing 75 meters high and weighing 1,760 tonnes with 15 drilling slots, together with four piles having a combined weight of 1,256 tonnes, commenced in December 2021. By August 2024, after 31 months of execution, the project had achieved approximately 55% completion.
During the first ten months of the Fourteenth Administration, the remaining 45% of the work was successfully completed, including fabrication, final assembly, and load-out operations. Subsequently, in June 2025, the jacket was successfully installed at a water depth of 65 meters in the Persian Gulf. Following this achievement, the drilling rig contract was activated, and drilling operations officially commenced.
Immediately after the rig deployment, tie-back operations for the BLG-8 well were completed. This was followed by drilling the 32-inch hole section, installing conductor pipes for eight wells, and successfully drilling the 24-inch, 16-inch, 12¼-inch, and 8½-inch sections of Well BLG-10. Casing installation and reservoir logging operations were also completed successfully.
The contract for the construction of the production platform, with a designed processing capacity of 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day and a total structural weight of 3,468 tonnes—including the topside, interconnecting bridges, and flare tower—was awarded to Iran Marine Industrial Company (SADRA) on July 11, 2023.
During the Fourteenth Administration, the engineering, fabrication, and installation activities associated with the platform have advanced considerably, increasing the project's overall progress from just over 40% to approximately 45%.