Italian oil major, Eni, has announced plans to begin the second stage of production Baleine’s oi and gas field in Ivory Coast.
Eni made this disclsoure on Friday in a press statement obtained by Energy in Africa.
The first phase of the production began in August last year, and the second phase of the oil and gas production was scheduled to begin by the end of 2024, according to the company statement in August.
According to the company, this milestone will enable production to reach 70 million cubic feet of associated gas (or 2 million cubic meters) and 60,000 barrels of oil per day.
Eni discovered the Baleine field in September 2021, and when production started last year, Eni said that Baleine would also have a third development phase that could increase output to 150,000 bbl/d and 200 Mscf/d.
The release further expands that phase 2 will see the Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading Unit (FPSO) Petrojarl Kong deployed alongside the Floating Storage and Offloading Unit (FSO) Yamoussoukro for the export of oil, while 100% of the processed gas will supply the local energy demand through the connection with the pipeline built during the project’s Phase 1.
The company claimed that Baleine is the first net zero emission upstream project (Scope 1 and 2) in Africa, made possible through the adoption of advanced technologies, which minimize the operations’ carbon footprint, and innovative initiatives developed in close collaboration with the Ivorian ministries.
“With the start-up of Baleine’s Phase 2 and the development of Phase 3, currently under study, total production is set to reach 150,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 million cubic feet of associated gas, further consolidating Côte d’Ivoire’s role as a regional energy hub and strengthening strategic collaboration with the local partner,” Eni said.
Eni has been operating in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015 with a current equity output of over 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
In collaboration with Petroci Holding, the company manages ten blocks in the Ivorian deep waters.
