The Italian oil and gas company Eni has selected the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Firenze to start up production at the Baleine oil and gas field, which is the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Côte d'Ivoire to date, with estimated reserves of 2.5 Gbl (335 Mt) of oil and 3.3 tcf (93.4 bcm) of associated gas.
The FPSO Firenze, that will be renamed Baleine after its arrival in Côte d’Ivoire, has been refurbished and upgraded to allow it to treat up to 15 kb/d of oil and around 25 mcf/d (258 mcm/year) of associated gas. The FPSO has sailed away from Dubai to join the oil and gas project in Côte d’Ivoire. The start-up of production is expected for June 2023. Eni is also working on a second phase for the project, forecasting a start-up of production by December 2024.
In July 2022, Eni made a new oil and gas discovery at the Baleine field, increasing by around 25% the volumes of hydrocarbons in place. The Baleine East 1X well was drilled in the CI-802 block, operated by Eni (90%), together with the Ivorian state-owned national oil and gas company Petroci (10%). Eni owns interests in five other blocks in the Ivorian deepwater: CI-205, CI-501, CI-504, CI-401 and CI-801, all with Petroci.