Oil and natural gas production in Côte d’Ivoire has begun in the Baleine offshore field, the country’s largest hydrocarbon reservoir. The project, approved by the multinational company ENI and considered innovative, aims to supply the domestic electricity market and strengthen the country’s role as an energy hub.
According to a statement from the Ivorian Ministry of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, oil and gas production commenced in the Baleine field on August 27. Additionally, the Italian group ENI and its Ivorian partner Petroci Holding are responsible for the production.
The ministry highlights that the Baleine field, located in deep waters in the southeastern part of the country, is currently the largest hydrocarbon discovery in the Ivorian sedimentary basin. There is an estimated 2.5 billion barrels of crude oil and 3.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (93 billion cubic meters) in its resources.
Furthermore, this is the first production project in Africa that does not emit greenhouse gases. In early August, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, described it as innovative and environmentally responsible. “The entire natural gas production from the Baleine field is piped ashore through a newly built pipeline, allowing Côte d’Ivoire to meet the demand of the domestic electricity market, facilitate energy access, and enhance its role as an energy hub in the sub-region,” according to the statement.
In 2021, Baleine made oil and gas discoveries, and in 2022, it began production. For the initial phase, the floating production, storage, and offloading unit (FPSO) will process around 25 million cubic feet (700,000 cubic meters) of associated natural gas per day and 15,000 barrels of oil per day. It is planned to increase oil production tenfold in the future.
