Italian oil and gas giant, Eni, has announced a major discovery of oil and gas in the CI-205, offshore the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
The discovery, named Calao, stands as the second largest in the West African nation, following the Baleine field discovered by Eni in September 2022.
In a statement issued by Eni on Thursday, March 7, 2024, it said the Calao discovery was greeted as a significant one.
The statement said the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara and the Chief Executive officer of Eni, Claudio Descalzi, already 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 statement said the Prime Minister, Robert Beugré Mambé, and the Minister for Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa- Coulibaly also participated in the meeting.
“Drilling operations took place approximately 45 kilometres off the coast in block CI-205, reaching a depth of 5,000 meters in water depths of around 2,200 meters.
“The well-encountered light oil, gas and condensates in various intervals of the Cenomanian age characterized by good to excellent permeability values.
“Preliminary assessments indicate potential resources ranging between 1 and 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent,” the statement said.
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 meeting the country’s domestic needs.
Eni has been operating in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015.
In addition to blocking 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 totalling approximately 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from the Baleine field, which started production in August 2023.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com