Eni has made a major oil discovery after drilling an exploration well on the Baleine prospect in block CI-101 offshore Ivory Coast. Located approximately 60km off the coast, the Baleine-1x well discovered light oil (40° API) in two different stratigraphic levels.
According to Eni, the well was drilled to a depth of about 1,200 metres with the Saipem 10,000 drilling ship, reaching a total depth of 3,445 metres in 30 days. Preliminary estimates show that the discovery well contains between 1.5 and 2.0bn barrels of oil in place and between 1.8 and 2.4 TCF of associated gas.
The company will conduct an evaluation plan to evaluate the huge upside potential of the overall structure that extends into block CI-802. Furthermore, it is expected that Eni and Petroci Holding will also start studies for a fast-track development of the Baleine discovery.
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