The FPSO Firenze has left Dubai and set course for the Baleine field off the coast of Ivory Coast. Partners Eni and PetroCi bid farewell to the FPSO alongside Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, Ivory Coast’s Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, and other dignitaries.
The FPSO Firenze will enable the start-up of production from the Baleine field, which is the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Côte d’Ivoire to date, with an estimated oil in place of 2.5 billion barrels and 3.3 trillion cubic feet of associated gas, Eni said in a company statement. The Baleine development will also be Africa’s first net zero emissions project (Scope 1 and 2), the company said.
FPSO Firenze, which will be renamed Baleine after its arrival in Côte d’Ivoire, has been refurbished and upgraded to enable it to handle up to 15,000 bbl/d of oil and about 25 Mcfd/d of associated gas , according to the statement. reads.
Eni further said that all gas production will be delivered onshore via a newly built export pipeline. The installation of the subsea production system and the well completion campaign are underway and will ensure an accelerated start-up of production in June 2023, according to the company.
Eni’s phased development model and fast track are said to have proven effective, with the project set to start production less than two years from the Baleine 1X discovery well and a year and a half after the FID. Eni is already making fast progress on the second phase of the project, forecasting a start-up of production by December 2024 after taking the FID in December 2022.
The company hopes to contribute to the development of Ivory Coast’s hydrocarbon industry with the Baleine field and its other projects in the deep waters of Ivory Coast, he said.
The Baleine field extends over blocks CI-101 and CI-802. Eni also has interests in four other blocks in the deep waters of Ivory Coast: CI-205, CI-501, CI-401 and CI-801, all with the same partner, PetroCi Holding.
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