Eni has announced a significant gas and condensate discovery on Murene South-1X, the first exploration well in Block CI-501 offshore Côte d'Ivoire (Eni press release, 16/02/2026). The Calao South discovery represents the second discovery on the Calao channel, making it the second largest in the country after the Baleine, with estimated volumes of up to 5 Tcf (141.5 bcm) and 450 mbl of condensate (or about 1.4 Gbl of oil). The Block CI-501 is operated by Eni (90%) in partnership with Petroci Holding (10%).
The Baleine was discovered in 2021, with estimated reserves of 2.5 Gbl (335 Mt) of oil and 3.3 Tcf (93.4 bcm) of associated gas. It currently produces over 62 kb/d of oil and more than 75 mcf/d (775 bcm/year) of gas from Phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 is expected to rise production by 150 kb/d of oil and 200 mcf/d (5.6 mcm/d, about 2 bcm/year) of gas.
Eni has been present in Côte d'Ivoire since 2015 and it currently holds interests in a total of ten exploration blocks, of which seven are in partnership with Petroci Holding (CI-501, CI-205, CI-504, CI-526, CI-706, CI-707, CI-708), while the remaining three (CI-401, CI-801, CI-802) are in partnership with Baleine AEE (a JV with Petroci Holding, Vitol and SOCAR).
In 2024, the government of Côte d’Ivoire announced plans for a more than three-fold increase in oil production in the country by 2027, as output is expected to grow from around 60 kb/d to about 200 kb/d by 2027 (KEI, 21/06/2024).
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