June 29, 2025 -- Iran has begun gas exports from the third sweetening train of the Phase 14 refinery at the South Pars gas field. Credit: Tehran Times

Construction of the South Pars Phase 14 onshore gas‐condensate refinery began in 2010 as part of Iran’s ambitious plan to fully develop the world’s largest natural gas field shared with Qatar. Nestled within the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone, some 15 km east of Bandar Kangan in Bushehr province, the facility was conceived to process sour gas from Phase 14 offshore platforms and supply sweet gas, condensate, LPG, sulfur and ethane to domestic and export markets.

After a decade and a half of phased engineering, procurement, and construction—marked by extensive use of domestically manufactured equipment and modular train fabrication—the refinery was finally completed in late 2024. Within weeks of its inauguration, Phase 14 was tied into Iran’s national gas pipeline network, enabling the first exports of sweet gas from its third sweetening train to neighboring countries in January 2025.

However, the facility’s moment of triumph was abruptly challenged on June 14, 2025, when an Israeli airstrike struck one of the four sweetening trains. The attack, the first direct aerial assault on Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure, triggered a blaze that halted production of approximately 12 million cubic meters per day of gas and temporarily curtailed condensate output. Initial assessments feared weeks‐long outages, but a round‐the‐clock repair effort led by Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) engineers restored the damaged train to full operation in under ten days.

This rapid recovery not only prevented significant disruptions to domestic gas supply—critical for power generation and industrial usage—but also underscored Iran’s strategic emphasis on local content. With over 70 percent of Phase 14’s components sourced from Iranian manufacturers, spare parts and technical expertise were readily available onshore, enabling swift replacement of heat exchangers, valves, and amine compressors damaged in the strike.

As Phase 14 resumes uninterrupted service, its journey from groundbreaking in 2010, through years of engineering challenges, to a dramatic test under fire, highlights both the refinery's technical sophistication and Iran's commitment to energy self-reliance. The swift repair demonstrates that Iran's investment in domestic manufacturing and technical expertise has created a resilient energy infrastructure capable of withstanding both operational challenges and external threats.

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