Eni and the Ministry of Mines, Oil and Energy of Côte d’Ivoire have signed  in Abidjan the contracts for the acquisition of 4 new exploration blocks in the country’s offshore. The signing, which further consolidates Eni’s presence in Côte d’Ivoire, took place on the occasion of the first edition of SIREXE, the International Exhibition of Extractive and Energy Resources.

The blocks CI-504, CI-526, CI-706 and CI-708 cover a total area of about 5,720 square kilometres with a water depth ranging between 1,000 and 3,500 meters; their proximity to the Calao discovery, made in Block CI-205, represents a strategic opportunity to create further synergies in the area. Under the agreements, Eni will be able to explore the area for up to 9 years.

Eni has been present in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015 and currently has an equity production of around 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The company already operates 6 blocks in the Ivorian deepwater: CI-101, CI-205, CI-401, CI-501, CI-801 and CI- 802, all with the same partner Petroci Holding. Eni has made the two largest discoveries to date in the country, Baleine and Calao, and is in the process of significantly increasing its production. Just one year after the start-up of Baleine Phase 1, the company is preparing for the launch of Phase 2, scheduled for December 2024, bringing total production from the Baleine field to 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 70 million cubic feet of associated gas (equivalent to 2 million cubic meters of associated gas), which will increase to 150,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 million cubic feet of associated gas during Phase 3, currently under study.