San Donato Milanese (Milan), 16 February 2026 – Eni has made a significant gas and condensate discovery in Côte d'Ivoire, successfully drilling Murene South-1X, the first exploration well in Block CI-501.
The discovery, named Calao South, confirms the potential of the Calao channel complex that includes also the Calao discovery and represents the second largest in the country after Baleine, with estimated volumes of up to 5.0 Tcf of gas and 450 million barrels of condensate (approximately 1.4 billion barrels of oil). The discovery was made in high-quality Cenomanian sands.
Block CI-501 is operated by Eni (90%) in partnership with Petroci Holding (10%). Murene South-1X is located approximately 8km southwest of Murene-1X discovery well in the adjacent CI-205 block. Drilled by the Saipem Santorini drilling ship to a total depth of around 5,000 meters in a 2,200 meter water depth, the well underwent an extensive data acquisition campaign. Murene South-1X confirmed the main hydrocarbon bearing interval with a gross thickness of around 50 meters, with excellent petrophysical properties. Murene South-1X will undergo a full conventional drill stem test (DST) to assess the production capacity of the Calao discovery.
Currently, the Baleine field produces over 62 thousand barrels of oil and more than 75 million cubic feet of gas per day from Phases 1 and 2. With the launch of Phase 3, production is expected to rise to 150 thousand barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day, reinforcing Baleine as a key asset in meeting Côte d’Ivoire’s domestic energy needs.
Eni has been active in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015. In addition to block CI-501, the company holds interests in nine other exploration blocks: CI-205, CI-504, CI-526, CI-706, CI-707, CI-708, in partnership with Petroci Holding, and CI-401, CI-801, CI-802 and Baleine AEE (in partnership with Petroci Holding, Vitol and SOCAR, subject to Governmental approvals).
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