Eni has begun production at the Nené Marine field, which is located in Marine XII Block, about 17km from the Congo coast.
Located at a water depth of 28m, the Nené Marine field produces from the Djeno pre-salt formation 2.5km beneath ground level.
The entire field development will be carried out in various stages, featuring the installation of production platforms and the drilling of more than 30 wells, with a plateau of more than 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd).
The production of phase one is 7,500 boepd, which is collected from a platform installed at the site. It is then sent for treatment at the Zatchi production platform, operated by Eni, through a subsea pipeline.
Eni has discovered about 3.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent of resources in the Congolese Marine XII Block in recent years.
Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said: "The startup of Nené Marine field, achieved just eight months after obtaining the production permit, is a great result for Eni and confirms our strategy of rapid exploitation of exploration resources, thanks to the technical and planning capabilities of the company and the integration of exploration, operational and development efficiency."
In a separate press release, Eni revealed that it has been awarded a licence for oil exploration Block 9, located offshore Croatia, together with Rockhopper Exploration.
Eni will operate Block 9 with a 60% stake, while Rockhopper will hold the remaining 40% interest.
Both companies should sign a production sharing agreement with the Croatian Hydrocarbon Authority by 2 April.
Image: Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi. Photo: courtesy of Eni.
