Eni begins early production at Baleine Field, Côte d’Ivoire
Italian oil multinational, Eni, has started production of oil and gas from the Baleine Field, located in the waters offshore Côte d’Ivoire. The commissioning and beginning of production from the field comes less than two years after the field was discovered in 2021.
The first oil from the field which is coming less than 18 months after the Final Investment Decision holds record for speedy business processes and project delivery, especially in a new terrain for the operating company.
The field is operated by Eni Energies et Services in partnership with PETROCI and is the country’s biggest oil and gas discovery to date with 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 3.3 Tcf of natural gas. It would also mark the first rapid emissions-free development and production project in Africa.
Eni adopted early production system in the phased development project, using the Firenze FPSO to process 15,000 bopd and 25 MMscf/d of gas.
A second phase should ramp up production to 50,000 bopd and 70 MMsc/d by 2024 before achieving full field development with a peak of 150,000 bopd and 200 MMscf/d.
Key contractors on the project include Saipem and Baker Hughes.
Over the past few years, Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministère des Mines, du Pétrole et de l’Energie has successfully brought investments into the sector with market activity picking up across the exploration, production, and energy infrastructure segments.
Baleine currently stands as the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Ivorian sedimentary basin.
The entire gas production from the Baleine Field in the initial development phase and the subsequent ones will be delivered onshore through a newly constructed pipeline. This will enable the country to meet its domestic electricity market demands, facilitate energy access, and strengthen its role as a regional energy hub for neighboring countries.
The project leverages the best available technologies to minimize emissions. Residual emissions are offset through initiatives developed within the country, including supplying and distributing improved stoves to local communities, eliminating the need for wood or coal for cooking. The stove distribution program, initiated in 2022, is expected to reach over one million people in the next 6 years. Simultaneously, Eni has launched studies for Nature-Based Solutions projects covering 380,000 hectares of protected forests.
Eni’s CEO, Claudio Descalzi, remarked, “The first oil from Baleine is a milestone in Eni’s operations. Stemming from an extraordinary exploration success, we have achieved an industry-leading time-to-market of under 2 years from the declaration of commercial discovery. This outcome expresses the core principles of our strategy, encompassing Africa’s pioneering net-zero project, accelerated development, local gas supply, and the promotion of a just transition”.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Eni is engaged in a series of projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Besides school refurbishment initiatives and workshops to enhance teacher skills benefiting around 8,500 students, a five-year agreement has been established with the Institut National Polytechnique Houphouët Boigny to train about 400 executives and technicians in the energy sector. Within the realm of community health, initiatives have been initiated to enhance access to healthcare services in 20 clinics located in vulnerable areas across different regions of the country. In the vocational training sphere, two projects have been launched for professional integration in the energy, automotive, and textile sectors, involving approximately 450 youths.
Eni’s presence in Côte d’Ivoire dates back to the 1960s with Agip Côte d’Ivoire. Eni re-entered the country in 2015 and currently holds interests in the CI-101 and CI-802 blocks – where the Baleine field extends – as well as in four other deep-water Ivorian blocks: CI-205, CI-501, CI-401, and CI-801, all with the same partner, Petroci Holding.
