Italian petroleum giant Eni poured first oil and gas from its Baleine Field offshore Côte d’Ivoire to signify the commencement of production, less than two years after the discovery, the company said Monday.
The commencement of production also comes less than 18 months after the Final Investment Decision, birthing the first emissions-free (both direct and indirect) production project in Africa.
Eni attributed the success chalked to the phased development approach it has adopted for recent projects, and the full collaboration of its partner Petroci.
The first phase of production on the Baleine field will be through a refurbished and upgraded Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit capable of handling up to 15,000 bbl/d of oil and around 25 Mscf/d of associated gas.
“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 two years from the declaration of commercial discovery,” Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said.
Descalzi added, “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.”
The company expects to start the second phase by the end of 2024 and increase field production to 50,000 bbl/d of oil and approximately 70 Mscf/d of associated gas, while the third development phase aims to ramp up field production up to 150,000 bbl/d of oil and 200 Mscf/d of gas.
“The entire gas production from the Baleine Field in this development phase and the subsequent ones will be delivered onshore through a newly constructed pipeline to 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,” Eni added.
The Milano-based oil and gas company has been present in Côte d’Ivoire since the 1960s with Agip Côte d’Ivoire. Eni re-entered the Francophone West African country in 2015 and currently holds interests in the CI-101 and CI-802 blocks, which orbits the Baleine field, in addition to four other fields.