Eni announces results for the third quarter and the nine months of 2011

Rome, October 27, 2011 – Eni, the international oil and gas company, today announces its group results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011¹ (unaudited).

Financial Highlights

• Adjusted operating profit: €4.61 billion in the quarter (up 12%); €13.71 billion in the nine months (up 9%);
• Adjusted net profit: €1.79 billion in the quarter (up 7%); €5.43 billion in the nine months (up 5%);
• Net profit: €1.77 billion in the quarter (up 3%); €5.57 billion in the nine months (down 3%);
• Cash flow: €2.61 billion in the quarter; €11.2 billion in the nine months.

Operational Highlights

• Hydrocarbon production still affected by the Libyan disruptions: down by 13.6% in the third quarter of 2011 to 1.47 mmboe/d (down by 12.4% in the nine months). When excluding price effects and the impact of lower Libyan output, production for the quarter was unchanged (down 0.8% in the nine months);
• Gas sales: down by 3.4% for the third quarter of 2011 to 17.96 billion cubic meters (up by 4.4% in the nine months);
• GreenStream pipeline restarted and resumed production in Libya;
• Signed commercial arrangements with Gazprom to secure a final investment decision for the development of the giant Samburgskoye gas field;
• Signed a preliminary agreement with GDF to acquire an interest of 10.4% in the Elgin/Franklin field off the UK section of the North Sea where Eni already participates;
• Started new oil and gas fields in Egypt and Australia in the quarter, which add to 8 start-ups since the beginning of the year;
• Made the giant Mamba gas discovery offshore Mozambique containing a potential of up to 22.5 TCF of gas in place.

Paolo Scaroni, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“Eni delivered excellent results in the quarter. I am very pleased by the fast resumption of hydrocarbon production in Libya and the restart of the GreenStream pipeline. We have strengthened our portfolio thanks to the agreements with Gazprom which initiate the development of our upstream operations in Siberia, and to our continued exploration successes, most recent of which was in Mozambique where we made the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Eni's history.”

(1) This press release represents the quarterly report prepared in compliance with Italian listing standards as provided by article 154-ter of the Italian code for securities and exchanges (Testo Unico della Finanza).

(a) For a detailed explanation of adjusted operating profit and net profit see paragraph “Reconciliation of reported operating and net profit to results on an adjusted basis” page 25.
(b) Profit attributable to Eni’s shareholders.
(c) Fully diluted. Dollar amounts are converted on the basis of the average EUR/USD exchange rate quoted by the ECB for the periods presented.
(d) One ADR (American Depositary Receipt) is equal to two Eni ordinary shares.

Adjusted operating profit
Eni reported adjusted operating profit for the third quarter of 2011 at €4.61 billion, up by 12.3% from the year-earlier quarter. This was due to improved operating performance in the Exploration & Production Division (up 19.3%) driven by a strong oil price environment, partly offset by the impact associated with a lowered Libyan output. Also the Engineering & Construction segment posted higher results (up 5.4%) on the back of a stronger turnover and increased margins on works, while a slightly better trading environment helped the Refining & Marketing Division recoup some losses (up 85.7%). These positive trends were partially offset by poor performance reported by the Gas & Power Division (down 21.1% from a year ago) as gas margins declined into negative territory due to strong competitive pressures in addition to oversupply in the marketplace and sluggish demand growth. The Division’s performance did not take into account the possible benefits associated with ongoing renegotiations of the Company’s long-term gas purchase contracts which may become effective earlier than end of September 2011. Also the Petrochemical Division reported a lower operating performance driven by high costs for oil-based feedstock which were only partially transferred to end prices. For the first nine months of 2011, the Group reported improved operating profit compared to the first nine months of 2010 (up by 9.2% to €13.71 billion) on the back of better performances reported by the Exploration & Production and, to a lesser extent, the Engineering & Construction segment, partly offset by weak trends in the Company’s downstream gas, refining and petrochemical businesses.

Adjusted net profit
Adjusted net profit for the third quarter of 2011 was €1.79 billion, an increase of 7% compared with the third quarter of 2010. Improved operating performance reported in the quarter was partly absorbed by higher net finance charges (down by €508 million) which were affected by negative fair value evaluation of certain interest and exchange rate derivatives that did not meet the formal criteria for hedge accounting. Furthermore, the Group consolidated adjusted tax rate rose by seven percentage points due to higher taxable profit recorded by subsidiaries in the Exploration & Production Division and a changed tax regime for certain Italian subsidiaries which provided for an increase of four percentage points in the Italian windfall tax levied on energy companies now at 10.5 percentage points (the so-called Robin Tax) and its extension to gas transport and distribution companies with retroactive effects to the beginning of the year.
Adjusted net profit of the first nine months of 2011 was €5.43 billion (up 5.1% from the first nine months of 2010) reflecting the same drivers as in the quarterly review.

Capital expenditure
Capital expenditure amounted to €2,929 million for the quarter and €9,544 million for the first nine months, mainly relating to continuing development of oil and gas reserves, the upgrading of rigs and offshore vessels in the Engineering & Construction segment and of the gas transport infrastructures.

Cash flow
In the third quarter of 2011 net cash generated by operating activities amounted to €2,609 million (€11,205 million in the first nine months). Proceeds on disposals amounted to €231 million mainly relating to the divestment of Eni’s gas distribution activities in Brazil. These inflows were used to fund part of the financing requirements associated with capital expenditure incurred in the period and payment of the interim dividend 2011 to Eni’s shareholders for €1,884 million. As a result, net borrowings² as of September 30, 2011 amounted to €28,273 million, representing an increase of €2,154 million from December 31, 2010, and of €2,295 million from June 30, 2011.

Financial Ratios
Return on Average Capital Employed (ROACE)³ calculated on an adjusted basis for the twelve-month period to September 30, 2011 was 10.4% (10.6% at September 30, 2010).
Ratio of net borrowings to shareholders’ equity including non-controlling interest - leverage³ - was 0.49 at September 30, 2011, below the level achieved at December 31, 2010 (0.47). The ratio was positively influenced by net profit for the period and currency translation differences which improved compared to the situation at June 30, 2011. These effects were overcome by increased net borrowings and dividend payment.

Exploration & Production
Eni reported liquids and gas production of 1,473 kboe/d for the third quarter of 2011 down by 13.6% from the third quarter of 2010 reflecting disruptions in the Libyan output as Eni’s producing sites continued to be shut down in the quarter, with the exception of the Wafa field to support local production of electricity. Eni resumed activities in Libya at the end of the quarter by restarting the Abu-Attifel field.
Performance for the quarter was also negatively impacted by lower entitlements in the Company’s PSAs due to higher oil prices with an overall effect of 37 kboe/d compared to the year-earlier quarter (approximately 35 kboe/d from the first nine months of 2010), in addition to the above mentioned loss of Libyan output amounting to an estimated 200 kboe/d (down by an estimated 180 kboe/d for the first nine months of 2011). Net of those effects, production for the quarter was unchanged from the third quarter of 2010, while it was down by 0.8% in the first nine months of 2011, helped by production growth achieved in Norway, Italy and Egypt.

Gas & Power
In the third quarter of 2011 Eni’s gas sales were 17.96 bcm, a decrease of 3.4% compared with the third quarter of 2010 which reflected sharply lower off-takes by Italian importers (down 70.1%) due to the disruption of Libyan gas supplies. Also volumes marketed on the domestic market fell by 0.31 bcm, down 4.7%, dragged down by lower spot sales and weak consumption of gas-fired power plants. Those declines were partly offset by volumes gains in European markets (up by 2.7% in the third quarter of 2011) mainly driven by growth registered in Turkey and increased LNG sales in South America and Japan.  In the first nine months of 2011 natural gas sales increased by 4.4% from the previous year. This increase was supported by client additions and increases in Eni’s Italian market share and growth recorded in the European gas markets, which more than offset lower off-takes from Italian importers.

(2) Information on net borrowings composition is furnished on page 34.
(3) Non-GAAP financial measures disclosed throughout this press release are accompanied by explanatory notes and tables to help investors gain a full understanding of
said measures in line with guidance provided for by CESR Recommendation No. 2005-178b. See pages 34 and 35 for leverage and ROACE, respectively.

Refining & Marketing
In the third quarter of 2011, refining margins of the Mediterranean area recorded a slight recovery (the TRC Brent was up by 37.3% to $2.9 dollar per barrel from the third quarter of 2010; down by 27.8% from the first nine months of 2010), reversing the negative trend of previous quarters. However, refining margins remained at unprofitable levels in an extremely volatile environment. Eni’s complex cycles were helped by improved ratio of prices of the main distillates to the cost of the fuel oil. These positive factors were partly absorbed by rising oil-linked costs for plant utilities.
In the third quarter of 2011, Eni’s sales volumes on the Italian retail market decreased by 2.2% from a year ago (down by 2.3 in the first nine months of 2011), while a higher reduction was recorded in fuel consumption. The market share for the period increased by 0.5 percentage points to 31.2% compared to the same year-earlier period. Also retail sales on European markets were weaker in the quarter due to lower demand and higher competitive pressure (down by 12.1% in the quarter; down by 3.8% in the first nine months) with reductions in Austria, Germany, France and Eastern Europe.

Currency
Results of operations for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011 were negatively impacted by the appreciation of the euro vs the US dollar (up by 9.5% and 6.9% in the quarter and in the first nine months of 2011, respectively).

Update on the Libyan situation

The environment in Libya has been progressively stabilizing recently. In August and September a number of contacts took place between Eni and the Interim Transitional National Council in order to identify terms and conditions for quick and complete resumption of Eni’s activities in the Country, including the restart of the GreenStream pipeline, transporting gas from Libya to Italy. Following these contacts, Eni in collaboration with the management of the Libyan Oil Company, NOC, defined a recovery plan covering all productive sites and installations. The Abu Attifel field was the first to start production. Eni’s offices in Tripoli also re-opened. More importantly, operations for the restart of the GreenStream pipeline are progressing with a target to gradually resume export to Italy. Considering that no damage has been reported at Eni’s production plants and transportation facilities, management believes that it is likely that oil production will flow at the pre-crisis plateau in about twelve months, while gas volumes ramp-up will be achieved in less time, estimated in few months. Eni and the Libyan counterparts confirmed the validity of the existing petroleum contracts.

Business developments

Indonesia
In the first Indonesian International Bid Round 2011, Eni, as operator of a consortium including other international oil companies has been awarded the North Ganal Block, located offshore East Kalimantan. Eni will be the operator of the PSC (Production Sharing Contract), which will be signed by the end of the year. The North Ganal Block covers an area of 2,432 square km in the Kutei Basin, a prolific hydrocarbon area. The North Ganal deal involves the drilling of 1 well and the carrying out of 200 km of 2D seismic survey during the first 3 years of exploration.

North Sea
In September 2011 Eni signed a preliminary agreement with GDF SUEZ to acquire a 10.4% interest in the Elgin-Franklin field, located in the UK North Sea basin, adding to the current interest of 21.8%. The transaction is worth €590 million. This acquisition will complement Eni’s portfolio in this area, leveraging existing asset knowledge. The agreement is subject to certain conditions including another oil company waiving to its pre-emption right on the interest sold by GDF SUEZ.

Brazil
On July 30, 2011, with the approval of the relevant Brazilian Authorities, Eni finalized the divestment of its 100% interest in Gas Brasiliano Distribuidora, a company that markets and distributes natural gas in Brazil, to Petrobras Gàs, a fully owned subsidiary of Petróleo Brasileiro (“Petrobras”). Total cash consideration amounted to $271 million.

Belgium
In July 2011, Eni signed an agreement with NV Nuon Energy for acquiring the subsidiary Nuon Belgium NV. The company supplies gas and electricity to the industrial and residential segments in Belgium. The agreement is subject to the approval of the relevant Authorities. The expected cash consideration amounts to approximately €210 million.

Agreements with Gazprom
As part of their strategic partnership, in September 2011, Eni and Gazprom signed arrangements to move forward certain projects of joint interest:
 - South Stream Project
   They agreed on terms and conditions for enlarging the partnership of the South Stream project to include gas operators Wintershall and EDF, each with a 15% interest in the initiative.
-  Elephant oilfield in Libya
   Gazprom reaffirmed its interest in acquiring half of Eni’s stake (33.3%) in the consortium developing the Elephant oilfield in Libya, located in the South-Western desert, around 800 km from Tripoli with a production plateau of over 100 kboe/d.
-  Gas Projects in Siberia
   They signed a contract whereby Gazprom commits to purchase volumes of gas produced by the joint-venture Severenergia (Eni 29.4%) through the development of the Samburgskoye field. The agreement secured a final investment decision for the field development. Start-up is expected in 2012.

Exploration activities
In the third quarter of 2011, significant exploratory successes were achieved in:
(i)   Angola, with the Lira discovery (Eni operator with a 35% interest) containing oil&gas resources, located in offshore Block 15/06;
(ii)  Indonesia, with the Jangkrik North East discovery in the offshore block Muara Bakau (Eni operator with a 55%  interest);
(iii)  Mozambique, where a giant gas discovery was made with the Mamba South 1 offshore well (Eni operator with a 70% interest), located in Area 4 in the Rovuma Basin. The Mamba South 1 discovery well was drilled in two sequential stages. According to field test results, the mineral potential of the area is huge up to 22.5 TCF of gas in place, confirming the Rovuma Basin as a world-class natural gas province. The first exploration well makes it the largest operated discovery in the Company’s exploration history.

Main production start-ups
In line with the Company’s production plans, production was started at the following main fields:
(i)   Denise B (Eni’s interest 50%) in the Nile Delta in Egypt, second development phase of the homonymous  field, with an initial production of approximately 7 kboe/d;
(ii)  Kitan (Eni operator with a 40% interest) located between East Timor and Australia. The Kitan field is being produced through deep water subsea completion wells connected to an FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) facility and is expected to reach peak production of about 40 kbbl/d.

Divestment of international pipelines

On September 22, 2011 Eni signed a preliminary agreement to divest to Fluxys G its assets in the international gas transport pipelines connecting Northern Europe to Italy. The divested assets include Eni’s interests in the entities owning the Transitgas (Switzerland) and TENP (Germany) pipelines and the entities handling capacity entitlements. The expected total consideration amounts to 975 million Swiss francs for the Transitgas gas pipeline and €60 million for the TENP gas pipeline. This transaction is part of the commitments agreed with the European Commission on September 29, 2010 and is, therefore, subject to its approval. The divestiture process is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Following the conclusion of the transaction, the ship-or-pay contract signed by Eni with the divested entities will remain in place.

Outlook

The outlook for 2011 reflects signs of a slowdown in the global economic activity, particularly in the OECD Countries where market participants have been reining on investment decisions and spending.  Eni forecasts a steady trend for Brent crude prices, although on a slightly weaker than-anticipated trend which considers progress achieved in stabilizing the Libyan crisis. For its short-term economic and financial projections, Eni is assuming an average Brent price of 111 $/bbl for the full year 2011. Management expects that the European gas market will remain weak against the backdrop of sluggish demand growth, abundant supplies and ongoing competitive pressures. Profitability of gas operators will continue to suffer from negative spreads between spot prices at continental hubs and the oil-linked cost of gas supplies provided in long-term contracts, in spite of the fact that spot prices have recovered throughout the year. Refining margins are expected to remain at unprofitable levels as high feedstock costs and rising oil-linked costs for plant utilities are partially absorbed by refined products prices pressured by sluggish demand and excess capacity.
Against this backdrop, management expectations about the main trends in the Company’s businesses for 2011 are disclosed below.

• Production of liquids and natural gas: is forecast to decline from the level achieved in 2010 (1.815 million boe/d at 80 $/bbl) at the Company’s pricing scenario of 111 $/bbl for the full year. The decline is expected as a result of volume losses in Libya following the shutdown of almost all of the Company’s production facilities. Assuming an addition from the resumption of Libyan activities in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the plateau recorded in the third quarter, management forecasts a 10 percentage point reduction in the expected production plateau for the full year at a constant pricing scenario. Management has been implementing its plans to target production growth in the Company’s assets by ramping up fields that were started in 2010, starting up new fields as well as executing production optimizations in particular in Nigeria, Norway, Egypt, Angola and the United Kingdom. In addition to those already achieved in the nine-month period to September 30, 2011, the Company is planning to start new field production in Italy, Egypt and Nigeria in the fourth quarter of the year;
• Worldwide gas sales: are expected to grow compared to the level achieved in 2010 (in 2010 actual sales amounted to 97.06 bcm), in spite of expected sales losses at certain Italian importers due disruption of gas supplies from Libya. Management plans to drive volume growth in Italy, leveraging client additions in the power generation, industrial and wholesale segments, as well as regaining significant market share, and capitalising on organic growth in key European markets. Considering mounting competitive pressure in the gas market, the achievement of the planned volume targets will be underpinned by strengthening the Company’s leadership on the European market; marketing actions intended to strengthen the customer base in the domestic market and renegotiating the Company’s long-term gas purchase contracts. The cash flow impact associated with lower sales to Italian shippers will be offset by expected lower cash outflows associated with the Company’s take-or-pay gas purchase contracts as the Company is planning to meet lower availability of Libyan gas with gas from other sources in its portfolio;
• Regulated businesses in Italy: will benefit from the pre-set regulatory return on new capital expenditure and continuing efficiency actions;
• Refining throughputs on Eni’s account: are expected to decline compared to 2010 (actual throughputs in 2010 were 34.8 mmtonnes). The decline is mainly expected at the Venice refinery due to a weak trading environment forcing the Company to cut production and difficulties in supplying Libyan crude oil. Higher volumes are expected to be processed at the Sannazzaro and Taranto refineries. Also the Company expects to cope with an unfavourable trading environment by stepping up efficiency efforts and optimizing refinery cycles;
• Retail sales of refined products in Italy and the rest of Europe: are expected to be slightly lower than in 2010 (11.73 mmtonnes in 2010) against the backdrop of weaker fuel demand. Management plans to counteract that negative trend by leveraging selective pricing and marketing initiatives, developing the “non-oil” business and service upgrade;
• The Engineering & Construction business: confirms solid results due to increasing turnover and a robust order backlog.

In 2011, management expects capital expenditure to be broadly in line with 2010 (€13.87 billion was invested in 2010), these investments will be mainly directed towards developing giant fields, starting production at new important fields in the Exploration & Production Division, refinery upgrading related in particular to the realization of the EST project, completing the program of enhancing Saipem’s fleet of vessels and rigs, and upgrading the natural gas transport infrastructure. Management expects to invest approximately €0.8 billion in new portfolio initiatives. Assuming a Brent price of 111 $/barrel, the proceeds from the divestment of certain assets which are in the final stage of the divestiture procedure and the benefit associated with ongoing renegotiations of the Company's gas purchase contracts , management forecasts that the ratio of net borrowings to total equity (leverage) at year-end will be lower than in 2010.

This press release for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2011 (unaudited) provides data and information on business and financial performance in compliance with article 154-ter of the Italian code for securities and exchanges (“Testo Unico della Finanza” – TUF). In this press release results and cash flows are presented for the third quarter, the second quarter and the first nine months of 2011 and for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2010. Information on liquidity and capital resources relates to the end of the periods as of September 30, 2011, June 30, 2011, and December 31, 2010. Tables contained in this press release are comparable with those presented in management’s disclosure section of the Company’s annual report and interim report. Accounts set forth herein have been prepared in accordance with the evaluation and recognition criteria set by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and adopted by the European Commission according to the procedure set forth in Article 6 of the European Regulation (CE) No. 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and European Council of July 19, 2002.
Non-GAAP financial measures and other performance indicators disclosed throughout this press release are accompanied by explanatory notes and tables to help investors to gain a full understanding of said measures in line with guidance provided by recommendation CESR/05-178b.

Eni’s Chief Financial Officer, Alessandro Bernini, in his position as manager responsible for the preparation of the Company’s financial reports, certifies pursuant to rule 154-bis paragraph 2 of Legislative Decree No. 58/1998, that data and information disclosed in this press release correspond to the Company’s evidence and accounting books and records.

Cautionary statement
This press release, in particular the statements under the section “Outlook”, contains certain forward-looking statements particularly those regarding capital expenditure, development and management of oil and gas resources, dividends, allocation of future cash flow from operations, future operating performance, gearing, targets of production and sales growth, new markets, and the progress and timing of projects. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may differ from those expressed in such statements, depending on a variety of factors, including the timing of bringing new fields on stream; management’s ability in carrying out industrial plans and in succeeding in commercial transactions; future levels of industry product supply; demand and pricing; operational problems; general economic conditions; political stability and economic growth in relevant areas of the world; changes in laws and governmental regulations; development and use of new technology; changes in public expectations and other changes in business conditions; the actions of competitors and other factors discussed elsewhere in this document. Due to the seasonality in demand for natural gas and certain refined products and the changes in a number of external factors affecting Eni’s operations, such as prices and margins of hydrocarbons and refined products, Eni’s results from operations and changes in net borrowings for the first half of the year cannot be extrapolated on an annual basis.