Eni makes “significant” oil and gas discovery offshore West Africa
Adewale Akinalade
The President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara and the Chief Executive Officer of Eni Claudio Descalzi met in Abidjan to discuss the company’s activities in the country, including the successful results of the exploration well Murene 1X on the discovery named Calao.
The Calao discovery was greeted as a significant one. Drilling operations took place approximately 45 km offshore in block CI-205, reaching a depth of 5,000 m in water depths of around 2,200 m.
The well encountered light oil, gas, and condensates in various intervals of Cenomanian age characterized by good to excellent permeability values. Preliminary assessments indicate potential resources ranging between 1 and 1.5 Bboe. Eni operates the block in partnership with Petroci Holding.
President Ouattara and Mr. Descalzi discussed the appraisal and development plans for the discovery, including Eni’s commitment to meet the country’s domestic needs.
Eni operates in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015. In addition to block CI-205, Eni holds participating interests in five other blocks in Ivorian deep waters: CI-101, CI-401, CI-501, CI-801, and CI-802, all in partnership with Petroci Holding.
Presently, Eni has an equity production of hydrocarbons totaling approximately 22,000 bopd from the Baleine field, which started production in August 2023.
Credit: Reuters