Eni announces a new oil discovery offshore Angola

Eni has made a new oil discovery in block 15/06, in the Kalimba exploration prospect, in Angola’s deep offshore. The new discovery is estimated to contain between 230mn and 300mn barrels of light oil in place.

The Kalimba-1 NFW well was drilled by the West Gemini drillship in a water depth of 458 metres, some150 km off the coast and 50 km south-east from the Armada Olombendo FPSO (East Hub). Well data indicates a production capacity in excess of 5,000 b/d of oil, reports Eni. The discovery opens new opportunities for oil exploration in the southern part of block 15/06, so far considered mainly gas prone.

The Kalimba joint venture comprises Eni (operator, 36.85%), Sonangol P&P (36.85%) and SSI Fifteen (26.3%).

Eni currently produces some 155,000 boe/d in Angola, with about 150,000 boe/d coming from the West Hub and East Hub projects in block 15/06. Eni is also operator of the Cabinda Norte onshore block. Planned start-ups in block 15/06 this year include the Upper Miocene, in the East Hub and the subsea boosting system for the Mpungi field, while the Vandumbu field, that will be connected to the West Hub, will start production at the end of 2018. These start-ups will add further 30,000 barrels of oil to the overall production from block 15/06, which in 2019 will exceed 170,000 b/d gross.