Italian energy major Eni has announced a significant offshore natural gas and condensate discovery in Côte d’Ivoire after successfully drilling the Murene South-1X well, the first exploration well in Block CI-501.
The company confirmed the development in a statement on Monday, describing the find as the country’s second-largest hydrocarbon discovery after the Baleine Field. The new discovery, named Calao South, reinforces the broader potential of the Calao channel complex, which also includes the earlier Calao find.
Eni estimates that Calao South holds up to 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas and around 450 million barrels of condensate — equivalent to approximately 1.4 billion barrels of oil. The scale of the discovery positions it as a major addition to Côte d’Ivoire’s expanding offshore resource base.
The Murene South-1X well is located southwest of the Murene-1X discovery in the adjacent CI-205 block. Block CI-501 is operated by Eni with a 90% participating interest, while Petroci Holding, the Ivorian national oil company, holds the remaining 10%.
Eni has been intensifying its offshore exploration activities across Africa as part of its strategy to grow its natural gas portfolio and attract partners to accelerate project development. The company has been active in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015 and currently holds interests in ten offshore exploration blocks.
Production from the Eni-operated Baleine Field currently exceeds 62,000 barrels of oil per day and more than 75 million cubic feet of gas per day from Phases 1 and 2. With the planned rollout of Phase 3, output is expected to increase to 150,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day, strengthening Baleine’s contribution to the country’s domestic energy supply.
In recent months, Eni has also adjusted its stake in the Baleine project, selling a 30% interest to Vitol and a further 10% stake to SOCAR, the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as part of efforts to bring in strategic partners and fast-track development.