[ad_1]
Ivory Coast’s highly anticipated Baleine field, which holds 2 billion barrels of crude oil and 2,400 to 3,300 billion cubic feet of natural gas, is expected to come on stream in the second half of 2023.
The consortium is owned by a consortium of Italian multinational oil and gas company ENI and Ivorian state oil company Petroci, which jointly operate and manage oil and gas exploration, development and production in the region.
The initial phase of this important field, located near Assoinde, southeast of Abidjan, is scheduled to start in 2023 and will account for 15% of the field’s total production, while the subsequent phase is expected to last 30 years.
more reserves
Recent drilling at Baleine E1X has revealed larger oil and gas reserves in adjacent blocks, raising estimated total reserves to approximately 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 3,300 billion cubic feet of natural gas, 25% higher than previously forecast.
A floating storage, production and offloading (FPSO) vessel called Baleine sailed from Dubai for Ivory Coast to start production on April 6, 18 months after its commercial discovery, according to Ivorian authorities.
The vessel has a crude oil processing capacity of 15,000 barrels per day (bpd), storage capacity of 650,000 bpd, unloading capacity of 520,000 bpd, produced water treatment capacity of 7,600 bpd and a draft of 5.5m.
rapid progress
Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, highlighted the rapid progress of the Baleine project, which required significant investment in the country, including the drilling of three production wells in the field, which are now nearing completion. In addition, an 80 km hydrocarbon transmission pipeline was installed and the FPSO was refurbished to meet operational requirements.
Coulibaly encouraged key industry players to explore the enormous potential of the Côte d’Ivoire’s sedimentary basin, as he declared that there are many other “Baleines” in the country yet to be discovered. The upcoming MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2023 conference is a gathering of key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, offering an opportunity to further explore and invest in Côte d’Ivoire’s thriving energy landscape.
Historically, Côte d’Ivoire’s hydrocarbon production has remained relatively modest, averaging around 30,000 barrels per day. However, with the Baleine field about to enter the production phase, the country’s crude oil production is expected to surge by 50% in the short term, heralding the turnaround.
In addition, Côte d’Ivoire will benefit from associated gas that can be used to power its power plants, strengthening the country’s energy security and sustainability. These major developments also have the potential to foster regional cooperation, as similar offshore projects are underway in the MSGBC basin, notably in Mauritania and Senegal. — trade arab news agency
[ad_2]
Source link
