Italian major Eni, together with partners Petroci and Vitol, has taken the final investment decision on the Baleine Phase 3 project offshore the Ivory Coast. The full field development is reported to be worth around $4bn and represents one of the larger upstream sanctions in West Africa this year.
Phase 3 will lift oil production from 60,000 barrels per day to 150,000 barrels per day, while gas output climbs from 80mmcf per day to 200mmcf per day. All gas produced will be directed to the domestic market in Côte d’Ivoire, supporting electricity generation and broader industrial growth.
The development centres on a new FPSO unit that Eni says is designed for higher operational efficiency and a lower environmental footprint. The vessel will be built at a Chinese shipyard and is expected to be delivered by mid 2028, extending the phased fast track model already used on the first two phases of the field.
Eni has operated in Côte d’Ivoire since 2015, when it made the Baleine and Calao discoveries. Those finds have drawn fresh attention to the Ivorian offshore and to a stretch of the Gulf of Guinea that several majors now see as one of the more promising frontier regions on the continent.
For offshore contractors and shipbuilders, the sanction adds another sizable West African FPSO award to a global order book that is already tight. It also reinforces the trend of deepwater oil and gas projects moving forward despite the energy transition, as operators chase low cost barrels that can be brought online in under four years.