• Côte d’Ivoire announces commercial offshore hydrocarbon discovery
• Eni finds oil, gas at Calao South well
• Government targets 200,000 bpd output by 2030

The Ivorian government on Monday announced a new hydrocarbon discovery on offshore block CI-501, according to a statement from Mines, Petroleum and Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly.

The discovery, described as commercial, was made by Eni Côte d'Ivoire, a subsidiary of Italy’s Eni, in partnership with national oil company PETROCI Holding in early February 2026. Named Calao South, it follows the drilling of the Murène South-1X exploration well on block CI-501.

The well was drilled to a depth of more than 5,000 meters in approximately 2,200 meters of water, the statement said. It encountered light oil, natural gas and condensate. Total resources in place across blocks CI-501 and CI-205 are estimated at about 1.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The discovery strengthens the country’s natural gas supply for power generation, the statement added.

A series of hydrocarbon discoveries since 2021

Côte d'Ivoire has produced offshore oil and gas for decades, but output has risen sharply in recent years following new discoveries. Official data show the country produced 16.1 million barrels of crude oil in 2024, or around 44,000 barrels per day, up about 50% from 2023, driven notably by the ramp-up of the Baleine field.

Discovered in 2021, the Baleine field began production in August 2023. According to Eni, phase 2 has reached capacity of about 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 70 million cubic feet of gas per day. Total resources are estimated at around 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 3,300 billion cubic feet of gas.

The Calao discovery, announced in 2024 on block CI-205, is undergoing appraisal drilling launched in January 2026 to better assess its potential. The new find on block CI-501 adds to the recent rise in national output.

Eni, which holds a 90% stake in the block, said it will carry out a production test to assess recoverable volumes and determine the feasibility of commercial development.

200,000 bpd by 2030 and 500,000 bpd by 2035

Côte d'Ivoire has set ambitious targets to accelerate oil production. In June 2025, Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly presented a new oil and gas logistics master plan covering the period to 2050. The plan aims to raise output to 200,000 barrels per day by 2030, from around 60,000 bpd currently, and to 500,000 bpd by 2035.

Achieving these targets will require the phased development of new offshore fields and the rollout of logistics infrastructure outlined in the plan. Exploration activity is continuing.

Abdel-Latif Boureima