Eni has discovered 28 to 42 bcm (1-1.5 tcf) of raw natural gas, in a deeper zone, at its first exploration well drilled in Offshore Block 2 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). This find follows a previous discovery in February 2022 in a shallower zone of the same well, aggregating a total gas in place of 71 to 99 bcm (2.5-3.5 tcf) of natural gas.
Offshore Block 2 covers an area of more than 4,000 km2 northwest of Abu Dhabi. It was awarded in January 2019 as a result of the first competitive bid round for exploration blocks launched by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Eni has a 70% stake and is the operator of the block, while its partner PTTEP, Thailand’s national oil exploration and production company, holds the remaining 30%.
Eni is the operator of 3 exploration concessions in Aby Dhabi and has a participation with ADNOC in 3 offshore development and production concessions, Lower Zakum (5% stake), Umm Shaif and Nasr (10% stake) and Ghasha (25% stake). The UAE’s proved natural gas reserves reached 6,090 bcm at end-2021. The country produced 52.2 bcm of natural gas in 2021.