[Côte d'Ivoire] Baleine

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Eni Celebrates Sail Away of FPSO Firenze to Baleine Field Offshore Côte d'Ivoire

The FPSO Firenze will allow production start-up of the Baleine field, which is the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Côte d'Ivoire.



San Donato Milanese (Milan), 6 April 2023 - Eni, in partnership with PetroCi, celebrated the sail away of the FPSO Firenze to the Baleine field offshore Côte d'Ivoire in Dubai. The event was attended by Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy Côte of d'Ivoire, and other dignitaries.

The FPSO Firenze will allow production start-up of the Baleine field, which is the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Côte d'Ivoire to date, with an estimated oil in place of 2.5 billion barrels and 3.3 trillion cubic feet of associated gas. The development of Baleine will also be Africa's first net-zero emission project (Scope 1 and 2).

The FPSO Firenze, that will be renamed Baleine after its arrival in Cote d’Ivoire, has been refurbished and upgraded in order to allow it to treat up to 15,000 bbl/d of oil and around 25 Mcfd/d of associated gas. The entire gas production will be delivered onshore via a newly built export pipeline. The installation of the subsea production system and well completion campaign are underway and will ensure an accelerated start-up of production by June 2023.

Eni's phased development model and fast track have proven to be effective, as the project is set to start production less than 2 years from the Baleine 1X discovery well and one and a half years after the FID. Eni is already progressing swiftly on the second phase of the project forecasting a start-up of production by December 2024 after having taken the FID in December 2022.

Eni is committed to sustainable development, and the Baleine field's net-zero emission project is a significant step towards achieving this goal. The company looks forward to contributing to the development of Côte d'Ivoire's hydrocarbon industry with the Baleine field and its other projects in the Ivorian deep water.

The Baleine field extends over blocks CI-101 and CI-802. Eni also owns interests in four other blocks in the Ivorian deep water: CI-205, CI-501, CI-401, and CI-801, all with the same partner, PetroCi Holding.

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Altera Infrastructure's FPSO Voyageur Spirit seen here leaving the Kishorn Port Ltd, in UK. The cylindrical FPSO has been at Kishorn Port and Dry Dock since July 2020. The FPSO was floated onto the heavy load carrier vessel, ‘Xin Yao Hua’, and was destined for Eni's operated Baleine phase 2 project, offshore Cote d'Ivorie.

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Eni starts production from Baleine Field in Côte d’Ivoire with its partner PETROCI

San Donato Milanese (Milan), 28 August 2023 - Eni has today started production of oil and gas from the Baleine Field, located in the waters offshore Côte d’Ivoire. This milestone comes less than two years after the discovery in September 2021 and less than a year and a half after the Final Investment Decision. This marks the first emissions-free - Scope 1 and 2 - production project in Africa.

Baleine currently stands as the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Ivorian sedimentary basin. The fast time-to-market was made possible through Eni's phased development approach characteristic of recent projects, and along with its partner Petroci full collaboration. For the initial phase, production takes place through the Baleine FPSO, a refurbished and upgraded Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit capable of handling up to 15,000 bbl/d of oil and around 25 Mscf/d of associated gas. The start of Phase 2 is expected by the end of 2024 and will increase field production to 50,000 bbl/d of oil and approximately 70 Mscf/d of associated gas. The third development phase aims to elevate 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. This will 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.

The project leverages the best available technologies to minimize emissions. Residual emissions are offset through initiatives developed within the country, including supplying and distributing improved stoves to local communities, eliminating the need for wood or coal for cooking. The stove distribution program, initiated in 2022, is expected to reach over one million people in the next 6 years. Simultaneously, Eni has launched studies for Nature-Based Solutions projects covering 380,000 hectares of protected forests.

Eni's CEO, Claudio Descalzi, remarked, "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 2 years from the declaration of commercial discovery. 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".

In Côte d’Ivoire, Eni is engaged in a series of projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Besides school refurbishment initiatives and workshops to enhance teacher skills benefiting around 8,500 students, a five-year agreement has been established with the Institut National Polytechnique Houphouët Boigny to train about 400 executives and technicians in the energy sector. Within the realm of community health, initiatives have been initiated to enhance access to healthcare services in 20 clinics located in vulnerable areas across different regions of the country. In the vocational training sphere, two projects have been launched for professional integration in the energy, automotive, and textile sectors, involving approximately 450 youths.

Eni's presence in Côte d’Ivoire dates back to the 1960s with Agip Côte d’Ivoire. Eni re-entered the country in 2015 and currently holds interests in the CI-101 and CI-802 blocks - where the Baleine field extends - as well as in four other deep-water Ivorian blocks: CI-205, CI-501, CI-401, and CI-801, all with the same partner, Petroci Holding.

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Eni awarded DOF Subsea Contract to install Baleine FPSO and FSO

DOF has been awarded a contract by Altera Infrastructure to install one FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading unit) and one FSO (Floating Storage unit) for the phase 2 development of the Baleine field in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, operated by Eni with Petroci Holding as partner.

The project includes the complete installation of seabed mooring systems, flowline between FSO and FPSO, and associated equipment.

DOF`s contract scope includes project management, engineering, transportation, installation and hook-up of floating units in the field. DOF shall mobilize Skandi Skansen to the project, totaling more than 130 vessel days.

“This award recognizes DOF`s solid performance within installation of floating units. We look forward to executing the project safely and successfully”, says Mons S. Aase, CEO in DOF Group.

Project Management and engineering will commence immediately from DOF`s offices in Bergen, Norway and Aberdeen, Scotland. Offshore operations are planned to take part from Q3, 2024.

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