Eni makes oil, gas discovery offshore Cote d’Ivoire

Italian energy giant Eni on March 7 reported a discovery of oil, gas, and condensates offshore Cote d’Ivoire.

The announcement was made during a meeting between the president of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi in Abidjan, where discussions centered on the company’s operations in the country. Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé also participated in the meeting.

The discovery, named Calao, took place at the Murene 1X well, drilled about 45 km off the coast in block CI-205, reaching a depth of 5,000m in water depths of approximately 2,200m. The well encountered light oil, gas, and condensates in various intervals of Cenomanian age, characterised by favorable permeability values, Eni said.

Preliminary assessments suggest potential resources ranging between 1 and 1.5bn barrels of oil equivalent. Eni operates the block in collaboration with Petroci Holding.

Eni's involvement extends beyond CI-205, with participating interests in five other Ivorian deep-water blocks: CI-101, CI-401, CI-501, CI-801, and CI-802, all in partnership with Petroci Holding. Currently, Eni boasts an equity production of hydrocarbons totaling approximately 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent/day from the Baleine field, which commenced production in August 2023.