By Victor Uchechukwu
- The new acquisition will not only strengthen the Company’s exploration portfolio, it will also confirm its commitment to the region
Eni and the Ivorian Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy said they have signed the exploration contract for the CI-707 offshore block in Abidjan.
The license according to an email statement to Energy Window International (Media), covers an area of approximately 2,926 square kilometres in the Ivorian sedimentary basin, at a water depth of between 1,000 and 3,000 metres. The planned exploration period has a maximum duration of 9 years, Eni said.
Energy Window International (Media) has also gathered that the area covered by the new license is geologically continuous with the nearby CI-205 block, where Eni said it announced the discovery of Calao in March 2024. It added that the proximity would offer a strategic opportunity for the identification of potential similar structures, paving the way for future synergistic developments.
It said that with the new license, it has been able to consolidate its presence in Côte d’Ivoire, where it said it has been operating since 2017, with current equity production of over 62,000 barrels of oil and more than 75 million cubic feet of gas per day, set to rise to 150,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas with the start of phase 3. It said it has been active in 10 offshore blocks in the country – CI-101, CI-205, CI-401, CI-501, CI-504, CI-526, CI-706, CI-708, CI-801 and CI-802 – in addition to block CI-707.