TEHRAN – Iran on Monday launched the development project of the Tous gas field in the country’s northeast by presidential order, aiming to strengthen gas supply stability in the region and feed the Shahid Hashemi-Nejad gas refinery in Sarakhs.
President Masoud Pezeshkian inaugurated the project via videoconference, alongside Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, state oil news service Shana reported.
Located about 100 kilometers northeast of Mashhad and 50 kilometers from the Sarakhs refinery, the Tous field holds an estimated 58 billion cubic meters of gas in place. Discovered in 2003, development work began in 2024.
The project was implemented with an investment of 120 million euros, financed through domestic resources. Initial production capacity is set at 3.0 million cubic meters (mcm) per day, with the potential to rise to 5.0 mcm per day.
The development is intended to offset part of the feedstock shortfall at the Shahid Hashemi-Nejad refinery, improve the resilience of the gas distribution network in northeastern Iran during winter peak demand, and reduce reliance on gas imports from Turkmenistan.
Officials said the project would enhance energy security and ensure more stable gas supplies for eastern provinces. It also generated about 1,200 jobs during construction and installation and will support 180 direct jobs during the operational phase.
Work under the project included drilling four wells to an average depth of 3,700 meters, extensive pipeline welding and installation, large-scale earthworks, and major concrete and steel structure operations. The project logged around 280,000 man-hours without fatal accidents, according to Shana.
Separately, National Iranian Oil Company Chief Executive Hamid Bovard said gas production from the Tous field has begun, with initial output of between 3 million and 5.0 mcm per day. He said the field would play a key role in balancing the gas network and supporting pressure levels across five northern provinces.
Bovard added that around 65 mcm of gas is currently produced daily in northeastern Iran, supplying five provinces through the East Oil and Gas Company.
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