Iran's gas reserves have grown over the past two years through two new exploratory fields, Pazan and Takhteh, marking a key achievement of the fourteenth government during its two years in office.

Since May 26, 1908, when an exploration team first struck oil in Masjed Soleyman, Khuzestan province, Iran's history of successful oil and gas discoveries has continued, and the country's oil industry retains the capacity to keep producing surprises.

Last October, the oil minister announced the discovery of major gas and oil reserves at the Pazan field in southern Fars province, noting that the field's additional 10 trillion cubic feet of gas could play a significant role in helping offset the country's energy imbalance in coming years.

The National Iranian Oil Company's Exploration Directorate, presenting a report on recent drilling and exploration operations, identified Pazan as holding the largest volume of gas in place and recoverable gas among the country's onshore fields, adding that a third well would soon be drilled to determine the oil, gas, and water boundaries and finalize reservoir volume estimates.

To grasp the scale of the reserves discovered at the Pazan field, consider that it holds 10 trillion cubic feet of new gas reserves. Applying a 70 percent recovery factor typical for the country's gas fields yields a recoverable volume of 7 trillion cubic feet — equivalent to about 7,000 days of production from a single phase of the South Pars field.

Drilling of Pazan's first well began in 1394 (2015-16) and reached a depth of 3,800 meters, leading to an initial discovery, though operational issues later halted the work. Years later, the site was again selected as an exploration target, and a second well was drilled to a depth of roughly 4,600 meters. This well uncovered two new oil and gas layers: in the upper Dalan formation, oil traces were observed with an estimated in-place volume of at least 200 million barrels, while in the Faraghan formation — one of Iran's oldest geological formations — a new gas layer was discovered. Combined with the initial find, a total of 10 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas has been added to the country's reserves.

Over 7.5 tcf of Gas Discovered

Attention then turned to the Takhteh gas field, added to the list of Iran's gas reserves and opening a new chapter in one of the country's most significant gas discoveries in the past two decades.

Coinciding with this year's Government Week, the oil minister announced the discovery of more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in southern Fars province, noting that with a recovery factor of about 72 percent, roughly 5.7 trillion cubic feet of gas could be extracted from the field. The reservoir, located in southern Fars province about 10 kilometers northwest of the city of Khonj, lies near the Arm, Homa, Shanul, Sefid Baghoun, Sefidzakhor, and Halegan gas reserves. Containing sweet gas and gas condensates, the newly discovered reservoir is estimated to hold an economic value of around $45 billion, based on an average price of 29 cents per cubic meter.

According to the oil minister, the first indications of gas reserves at this reservoir were confirmed in December 2024, during the early months of the fourteenth government's term. However, supplementary technical reports on the exploratory wells arrived at a time when Iran, having emerged from an imposed war, was once again pursuing a path of development and reconstruction amid a mood of renewed hope for the future.

The recoverable gas volume from this field is equivalent to enough capacity to supply the gas needs of a single South Pars phase for about 15 years. According to the National Iranian Oil Company's Exploration Directorate, of the 27 million barrels of gas condensate at the Takhteh field, about 20 million barrels are recoverable — a figure that, combined with the field's gas reserves, brings its total economic value to roughly $45 billion.

Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, stressing the need to accelerate development of the field, said plans and operations for developing the field must move forward as quickly as possible so its capacity can be put to use and the gas produced directed toward industry and other energy-intensive sectors of the country.

With its vast oil and gas reserves, Iran remains one of the world's most important holders of hydrocarbon resources. The addition of new reserves from the Pazan and Takhteh fields not only strengthens the country's hydrocarbon resource base but also underscores the importance of continued exploration and development of new fields in preserving and enhancing Iran's position in global energy dynamics.

This major achievement by the fourteenth government in boosting the country's gas reserves comes as gas imbalance has become a significant challenge for the energy sector, making stable gas supply for power plants, industries, and households increasingly important. The discoveries at Pazan and Takhteh can thus be seen as creating new capacity to strengthen gas production in the coming years. Rapid development of these fields and the conversion of discovered reserves into production capacity — alongside efficiency-improvement initiatives and consumption management — will help strengthen energy security and reduce part of the country's gas imbalance.