Italy’s Eni has increased its resource estimate for Baleine by 25pc
Cote d’Ivoire’s Baleine set for fast-track development
The field will be the African country’s largest oil and gas development and revive a declining upstream that has seen almost 20 years without a major discovery
Italy’s Eni is planning a rapid development of the Baleine field in Cote d’Ivoire following further exploration drilling success. The IOC has increased its resource estimate by 25pc, to 2.5bn bl of oil and 3.3tn ft³ (93.45bn m³) of gas following “excellent results” from the Baleine East 1X well. Eni “looks to have a truly world-class discovery on its hands and is expediting an early production phase”, notes consultancy Welligence. Baleine East 1X is around 5km east of the previous Baleine 1X discovery. Drilling results “confirmed a potential of at least 12,000bl/d of oil and 14mn ft³/d of associated gas production” from Baleine East, says Eni. The development will be “game changing” for Cote
Also in this section
19 March 2026
The regional crisis highlights the undervalued role of fixed pipelines in the age of tanker flexibility
18 March 2026
Rising LNG exports and AI-driven power demand have raised concerns that US gas prices could climb sharply, but analysts say abundant shale supply and continued productivity gains should keep Henry Hub within a range that preserves the competitiveness of US LNG
18 March 2026
Risks of shortages in oil products may cause world leaders to panic and make mistakes instead of letting the market do what it does best
17 March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East has put LNG’s ability to offer security and flexibility under uncomfortable scrutiny
