SP Rigs Undergo Most Complex Overhaul Yet as Iran Braces for Winter Gas Demand

Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) has launched its most extensive overhaul of South Pars offshore platforms to date, aiming to keep gas production steady after strikes damaged part of the country's gas refineries during recent conflict, according to Alireza Sarmadi, the company's director of production and operations.

The overhaul, which began in late March and is expected to wrap up by early September, covers 20 gas platforms in the South Pars field — the shared offshore reservoir that supplies more than 70% of Iran's gas needs. Several platforms have already completed repairs, with the rest on track to finish by the program's end, Sarmadi said.

Work follows the Oil Ministry's standard seasonal maintenance schedule but comes with added urgency this year. Damage to gas refineries during what Iranian officials describe as the second and third "imposed wars" has strained processing capacity, making it impossible to take platforms offline for extended periods, Sarmadi said. As a result, the maintenance timeline has been compressed compared with previous years, requiring tighter coordination without compromising safety or technical standards.

Crews are conducting technical inspections, repairing process and rotating equipment, running safety tests, calibrating instrumentation, servicing electrical and control systems, and carrying out preventive maintenance to ensure equipment reliability through the peak winter demand season.

Sarmadi cited transportation and logistics as major obstacles, particularly ongoing restrictions on helicopter flights ferrying personnel and equipment to offshore platforms, compounded at times by rough weather in the Persian Gulf. Despite the constraints, he said, the program has proceeded on schedule without significant disruption to production, thanks largely to Iranian manufacturers and domestic technical expertise that helped secure needed parts and equipment amid supply-chain pressures tied to the conflict.

Sarmadi said the Oil Ministry, the National Iranian Oil Company, POGC and the National Iranian Gas Company are working to restore damaged refineries to full operation, with some capacity already back online. But full recovery won't happen quickly, he said, making the offshore platforms' readiness even more critical this winter.

He added that stable winter energy supply will also depend on consumers managing their own gas use, not just production capacity, calling demand management a shared responsibility alongside the industry's supply efforts. - Shana