Persian Gulf Holding or Mostazafan Foundation? Which one will win the development of the Kish gas field?

According to an exclusive report by Energy Press, after years of stagnation, ignorance, and uncertainty, the name of the Kish gas field is now on the lips again; one of the largest independent gas fields in the country, which, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and drilling 14 wells, has not yet produced a single cubic meter of gas.
But this long silence has now been broken by whispers of a major concession. The project, which had been neglected for years in the shadow of the huge South Pars projects, is now on the verge of returning to the development radar.
With the emphasis of the Minister of Oil and the direct order of the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, the development of the first phase of the Kish gas field was resumed and the completion of the wells was put on the agenda. Touraj Dehghani, CEO of Pars Oil and Gas Company, emphasized in an interview with Energy Press that the first phase of the field is ready to produce 28 million cubic meters of gas per day, and the tender documents for the construction of downstream facilities have also been finalized.
But the main issue is tied to the future of this field; the second, third and even fourth phases of the project, which, according to Dehghani, requires about $8 billion in capital. The question that is now on the minds of industry activists is who will provide this huge capital?
Behind the scenes, competition is underway among the country’s major economic players. According to informed sources, Persian Gulf Holding is the most serious option to enter the development of the Kish gas field. Although the names of the Mostazafan Foundation and some private companies have also been mentioned, as evidence shows, the weight of the Persian Gulf in this competition is greater.
In response to a question from this media outlet’s reporter about which institutions have expressed their readiness to invest in this field, Touraj Dehghani said: Groups such as Persian Gulf Holding and the Mostazafan Foundation and some private companies that have the ability to attract foreign investors have expressed their interest and are reviewing the conditions. The final decision is up to the Ministry of Oil.
These statements were enough to fuel the speculation. Will one of the country’s petrochemical giants enter the development of a gas field? If so, it could be seen as a turning point in the connection between the upstream and downstream chains of Iran’s oil and gas industry.
The main question now is whether the fate of one of the country’s largest independent gas fields, after years of stagnation, will be left in the hands of domestic investors? And if so, who will win this huge field: Mostazafan Foundation or Persian Gulf Holding?