TEHRAN – After more than two 
decades of production, the South Pars gas field has reached a new milestone, recording 730 million cubic meters of rich gas output per day — the highest production rate in the history of the shared field and a record set during Iran’s 14th administration.
South Pars, known as the North Dome on the Qatari side, is one of the world’s largest independent gas resources. The field straddles the maritime border between Iran and Qatar in the Persian Gulf, about 100 kilometers off Iran’s southern coast. It covers 9,700 square kilometers, including 3,700 square kilometers on the Iranian side.
The field holds more than 14 trillion cubic meters of gas in place, equivalent to about 8% of the world’s total gas reserves and 47% of Iran’s proven gas reserves. It also contains an estimated 19 billion barrels of gas condensate, 7.5 billion barrels of crude oil in oil-bearing layers and significant helium reserves, making it a critical asset to Iran’s economy.
Development of South Pars was launched to meet the country’s gas needs, including gas injection into oil fields, supplies to industries and power plants, residential and commercial consumption, feedstock for petrochemical complexes and exports of gas, gas condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and sulfur.
The daily production record of 730 million cubic meters of rich gas in the winter of 2025-26 is therefore significant across the entire energy chain. It is particularly important because South Pars is a shared field, meaning increased recovery and production are closely linked to the competition between Iran and Qatar to maximize output from the reservoir.
The 730 million-cubic-meter record was not the first production milestone achieved at South Pars during the 14th administration. Production gains by Pars Oil and Gas Co. during the winters of 2024-25 and 2025-26 resulted in a series of unprecedented daily rich-gas production records.
In the winter of 2024-25, daily rich-gas production reached 710, 712, 714 and eventually 716 million cubic meters.
The upward trend continued in 2025-26, with production successively reaching 718, 722, 723, 725 and 727 million cubic meters per day before hitting 730 million cubic meters in the final days of winter. The record demonstrated the field’s ability to maximize production during peak demand and underscored its vital role in maintaining the stability of Iran’s gas network.
The increase came as South Pars entered the second half of its productive life. Natural reservoir pressure decline has emerged as one of the main challenges to maintaining sustainable production, making simultaneous action across the field and its facilities essential.
Major maintenance, equipment optimization and preparation, development of boundary phases and drilling of new wells helped increase gas recovery. The operation of 14 new wells also added production capacity and enabled greater use of the reservoir and processing facilities.
Major maintenance played a decisive role because sustained production at South Pars depends on the readiness of platforms, wells, pipelines and processing facilities. Timely maintenance and the return of equipment to service enabled production units to operate at maximum capacity during the winter peak-demand period.