Deputy Minister Hamdollah Mohammad-nejad said he expected to eventually to capture all the gas that is being produced as oil is pumped out of the ground at those two fields.
Iran captures much less gas than most oil producers, burning or flaring the bulk of it. Critics have pointed out that the gas Iran flares could have produced more electricity than several Bushehr nuclear power plants.
Mohammad-nejad did not speak of any general policy of capturing gas and ending the flaring policy. He only spoke of gas capture at the two fields.
The captured gas can be used to generate power and or can be pumped back into oilfields to maintain the pressure and slow the natural decline in production rates.
Last February Iran announced that it had halted flaring gas at the Soroush and Nowruz oilfields in the Persian Gulf, where gas had been flared for about 40 years.
Officials then said the end to flaring at those fields would allow the oil industry to use about $25 million worth of natural gas that was otherwise burned each year. The flaring not only wastes gas, it also adds to air pollution.
Iran has long been one of the most wasteful oil producers in terms on flaring.
American researchers reported in March 2007 that Iran was burning off 10 percent of its natural gas output while Saudi Arabia did not even burn off 1 percent. They said the most logical way to quickly generate more electricity in Iran would be to use that flared-off natural gas to run electricity-generating plants.
The Pana news agency last week said Iran burns off 15 billion cubic meters of gas a year worth about $3 billion.
