Legal Challenges of Using Product Sharing Agreement in the Underground Gas Storage (UGS) in Depleted Reservoirs

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 زنبیل آباد ،کوچه 42 ،پلاک 27

2 Assistant Professor, Private Law Dept., Faculty of Politics and Law, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Underground natural gas storage (UGS) involves gas pressurization operations for injection into porous space and its subsequent recovery. It is carried out using three common storage methods: storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, storage in saltcaverns and aquifers. Given the importance of storage and the efficiency of natural gas storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs in our country, providing an efficient legal framework and presenting an optimal contractual model can facilitate maximum attraction of private sector investment and accelerate the development of storage reservoirs. This research aims to introduce an optimal contractual model for UGS industry development, focusing on the legal aspects of ownership within UGS and the anticipated challenges in our country. Considering the legal implications in existing legislation and a detailed examination of the technical dimensions of the issue, storage should be classified as an upstream operation. Furthermore, considering the unique characteristics of UGS and their substantive differences from the development and production of oil reservoir, along with the state ownership of the injected gas, it seems that using production-sharing agreement (PSC) will not face restrictions under existing laws. Even under stringent conditions, legal challenges regarding ownership of the extracted product and concerns about dominance and monopoly can be easily resolved. This research is conducted through the description of laws, analysis of arbitration rulings and court decisions, and legal and jurisprudential principles and rules.

Keywords



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 July 2025
  • Receive Date: 29 October 2023
  • Revise Date: 20 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 21 July 2025