The project was launched Monday in a ceremony attended virtually by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad.

Located about 100 kilometers northeast of Mashhad and 50 kilometers from the Shahid Hashemi-Nejad refinery, the Tous gas field is considered one of eastern Iran’s key gas fields, with estimated gas-in-place reserves of about 58 billion cubic meters. The field was discovered in the Iranian year 1382 (2003), and development operations began in 1402 (2023).

According to the report, the project was implemented with an investment of 120 million euros, financed through domestic resources. In its first phase, the field has a daily production capacity of 3 million cubic meters of natural gas, with the potential to increase output to 5 million cubic meters per day.

Key objectives of the project include partially offsetting the feedstock shortfall at the Shahid Hashemi-Nejad refinery, improving the reliability of the gas distribution network in northeastern Iran—particularly during peak winter demand—and reducing dependence on gas import contracts with Turkmenistan.

The project is expected to play a significant role in enhancing energy security and ensuring stable gas supplies for Iran’s eastern provinces.

The development has also contributed to job creation, providing direct employment for about 1,200 workers during the construction and installation phase and 180 jobs during the operation phase.

The scope of work included drilling four wells to an average depth of 3,700 meters, completing about 70,000 inch-diameter welding and pipeline operations in 2-, 4-, 6-, 8- and 16-inch diameters, more than 1.6 million cubic meters of excavation and over 300,000 cubic meters of backfilling.

The project also involved the installation of 3,000 metric tons of rebar and steel structures, 40,000 square meters of formwork and more than 40,000 cubic meters of concrete pouring.

From a safety perspective, the project recorded 280,000 work-hours without a fatal incident, reflecting strong performance in occupational health and safety compliance.

The launch of the Tous gas field development project is considered a key step toward balanced growth in Iran’s gas industry, increased domestic production and greater resilience of the national gas network, particularly in the cold northeastern regions.