Eni acquires exploration rights to four blocks offshore Côte d’Ivoire

Eni SPA has acquired rights to four exploration blocks offshore Côte d’Ivoire.

The contracts, signed with the Ministry of Mines, Oil, and Energy of Côte d’Ivoire, give Eni rights to explore blocks CI-504, CI-526, CI-706, and CI-708 for up to 9 years. In total, the blocks span about 5,720 sq km with a water depth of 1,000-3,500 m, the operator said in a release Nov. 28. 
According to Eni, the area’s proximity to its Calao discovery, made in Block CI-205, "represents a strategic opportunity to create further synergies in the area."

Eni currently has an equity production of around 22,000 boe/d in Côte d’Ivoire. The company already operates six blocks in the Ivorian deepwater: CI-101, CI-205, CI-401, CI-501, CI-801, and CI- 802, all with Petroci Holding as partner. 

Eni has made the two largest discoveries to date in the country, Baleine and Calao, and is in the process of increasing production, the company said. One year after start-up of Baleine Phase 1, the operator is preparing to launch Phase 2 in December 2024, bringing total production from Baleine field to 60,000 b/d of oil and 70 MMcf of associated gas, which will increase to 150,000 b/d and 200 MMcf of associated gas during Phase 3, currently under study, the company said (OGJ Online, Feb. 12, 2024).