• Eni signs deal to survey offshore oil blocks in Sierra Leone
• Study spans 6,790 km²; no drilling planned, aims to reassess oil potential
• Past rounds failed to secure deals; Eni’s entry seen as investor signal
  

Italy’s energy major Eni has signed a survey agreement with Sierra Leone’s Petroleum Directorate (PDSL) to carry out geological and geophysical studies across several offshore blocks, as the country seeks to revive its petroleum sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) said on October 31.

The non-exclusive license covers blocks G113, G129, G130, G131, and G132, spanning about 6,790 square kilometers in deep offshore waters. It authorizes pre-exploration work such as collecting and reprocessing 3D seismic data and interpreting offshore geological structures.

The PDSL said the studies aim to reassess Sierra Leone’s oil potential and update data from earlier drilling campaigns more than a decade ago by Anadarko and Tullow. Those efforts confirmed an active petroleum system but yielded no commercially viable discovery.

Eni, entering Sierra Leone for the first time, plans to deploy its geoscience expertise and advanced imaging technology to evaluate the subsurface. The government in Freetown sees Eni’s involvement as a key signal to investors.

Sierra Leone has held five offshore block licensing rounds in the past 15 years, most recently in 2022, but none produced binding agreements, raising doubts about the effectiveness of its strategy and the prospects for a sixth round.

Eni’s entry aligns with its broader regional expansion, following major discoveries off Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria. The agreement is limited to survey work, with no drilling planned at this stage. Next steps will depend on the results of the technical studies conducted with the PDSL. PDSL head Foday Mansaray has said that Shell and Petrobras also acquired seismic data in recent months, but neither has committed to invest or drill.

Abdel-Latif Boureima