Eni’s offshore operations
Eni operates in the offshore areas of the Niger Delta through its subsidiaries Agip Energy and Natural Resources (AENR) and Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE). While AENR operates in the shallow water areas offshore, NAE operates in deep and ultra-deep waters.
Shallow Waters: Agbara and Okono/Okpoho Fields
AENR has a Service Contract with NNPC to operate OML 116, an oil block located about 45 kilometers off the Nigerian coast.
In 1981, AENR discovered the Agbara field within this block and produced first oil from it in June 1989. To date 17 wells have been drilled, completed and tied-in to the Agbara Platform.
In December 2000, AENR signed another Service Contract with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an NNPC subsidiary, to finance and jointly conduct operations in the Okono/Okpoho offshore fields in the OML 119 block. Utilizing a fast track strategy, AENR produced first oil from these fields in December 2001, three months ahead of schedule, achieving thereby a record time-to-market. To date 12 wells, comprising 6 wells in the Okpoho field and 6 wells in the Okono field, have been drilled, completed and tied-in to FPSO Mystras, which is the Okpoho/Okono production platform.
Deep Waters: Abo Field and Others
NAE has interests, either as Operator or as Co-Venturer, in six offshore blocks in deep waters, namely OML118, OML125, OML134, OML135, OML 151 and OPL 245.Abo Field
The Production Sharing Contract with NNPC to operate OML125 and OML134 was signed by NAE in 1993. The company went on to produce first oil from the Abo field, within these concessions, and through the Abo FPSO, in April 2003.
With this achievement, NAE set the record of being the first oil and gas company in Nigeria to produce from the nation’s deep offshore.
The Abo field extension development was carried out between 2006 and 2009 with the drilling and tie-in of Abo 10 and 11 production wells, and the installation of a gas injector in Abo 9 well.
Peak production of 37,300 bopd (100%) was achieved from the field in February 2010. However, having identified a further upside in the resources of Abo field, thanks to an innovative 4D seismic acquired in early 2011, NAE started the execution of Abo Phase 3 development in 2013. This contributed to a further peak in oil production, and in effect extending the life of the field.
Other activities
In 2011, NAE acquired a 50% participating interest in, and operatorship of, OPL 245, a block in Nigeria’s ultra-deep waters, with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) as the other partner.
That same year, NAE acquired a 49% participating interest in OPL 2009 (now OML 151) from GPDC. The company is the technical operator of this block as well.
NAE also has a 12.5% contractor participating interest in OML 135 and in OML 118, operated by SNEPCo, where the prolific Bonga main field has been in production since 2005, and two new development projects - Bonga North and Bonga SW- are ongoing.
As an operator in Nigeria’s deep offshore, NAE has acquired 6734.75 km² of 2D, 5707 km2 of 3D, 223 km² of 4D seismic, and has so far drilled six exploratory wells in OML 125 and OML 134, two exploratory wells in OPL 2009, and three exploratory wells in OPL 245.
