(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 16 feb - The Italian oil and gas company Eni announced a "significant" gas and condensate discovery in Cote d'Ivoire, successfully drilling Murene South-1X, the first exploration well in Block CI-501.

The discovery was named Calao South. According to Eni, it "confirms the potential of the Calao channel complex that includes also the Calao discovery and represents the second largest in the country after Baleine." Estimated volume at Calao South stands at of up to 5.0 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) and 450 million barrels of condensate (approximately 1.4 billion barrels of oil).

Block CI-501 is operated by Eni (90%) in partnership with Petroci Holding (10%). Murene South-1X is located approximately 8 kilometers southwest of theMurene-1X discovery well in the adjacent CI-205 block.

Currently, the Baleine field produces over 62,000 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, Eni noted that production is expected to rise to 150,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day, "reinforcing Baleine as a key asset in meeting Cote d'Ivoire's domestic energy.

needs."

(RADIOCOR) 16-02-26 12:42:36 (0259) 5 NNNN