Independent oil and gas company Murphy Oil Corporation has announced a light oil discovery at the Bubale-1X exploration well in Block C1-709 offshore Ivory Coast, marking another step in the country’s push to expand hydrocarbon production and strengthen its upstream oil and gas sector.
The well encountered high-quality light oil across two reservoirs, with a combined pay zone of 30 meters. Bubale-1X was drilled to a total depth of 6,263 meters in water depths of 2,376 meters.
Murphy Oil Corporation will now proceed to the evaluation phase, with further appraisal activities planned, including an additional well scheduled for the second half of 2026.
“Early results at Bubale reinforce the prospectivity of our Ivory Coast acreage,” said Eric Hambly, President and CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation. “We are pleased with the results to date, which underscore the value of a disciplined and consistent exploration approach. Our immediate focus now is advancing evaluation plans to define the discovery’s full potential.”
The discovery aligns with Ivory Coast’s broader strategy to scale up oil production to 500,000 barrels per day and natural gas output to one billion cubic feet per day by 2035. The country is positioning its upstream sector as a major driver of economic growth, with ambitions to rank among Africa’s top five hydrocarbon producers over the next decade.
The Bubale-1X discovery forms part of a three-well drilling campaign, which also includes the Civette-1X and Caracal-1X prospects.
Murphy Oil holds a 90% working interest in Block C1-709, while Société Nationale d’Opérations Pétrolières de la Côte d’Ivoire (PETROCI) holds the remaining 10%.