Italian explorer ENI has announced a significant discovery each in deep-water offshore two west African countries in one single week in mid-February 2026.
In Angola, ENI and BP are each 50 % owner of operator Azule Energy, whose “discovery of oil volume of approximately 500 Million barrels in the Algaita-01 exploration well”, was announced February 13, 2026 by the country’s upstream petroleum regulator: National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG).
Algaita-01 was drilled in Block 15/06, in a water depth of 667 metres and approximately 18 kilometres from the Olombendo FPS.
“It intercepted oil-bearing sandstones in Upper Miocene reservoir intervals”, the ANG said in a release. “Preliminary interpretation of wireline logging and fluid samples indicates the presence of multiple reservoir intervals with excellent petrophysical properties and fluid mobilities”.
Azule Energy operates Block 15/06 with 36.84% with partners including SSI Fifteen Limited (26.32%) and Sonangol E&P (36.84%).
In Côte d’Ivoire, ENI operates Block CI-501, where it reported, on February 16, 2026, “ a significant gas and condensate discovery, successfully drilling Murene South-1X, the first exploration well” in the acreage. “The discovery, named Calao South, confirms the potential of the Calao channel complex that includes also the Calao discovery and represents the second largest in the country after Baleine, with estimated volumes of up to Five Trillion cubic feet (5Tcf) of natural gas and 450Mllion barrels of condensate (approximately 1.4Billion barrels of oil equivalent). The discovery was made in high-quality Cenomanian sands”.
ENI’s 90% operatorship has the state hydrocarbon company Petroci Holding as 10%) partner. “Murene South-1X is located approximately Eight kilometres in southwest of Murene-1X discovery well in the adjacent CI-205 block. Drilled by the Saipem Santorini drilling ship to a total depth of around 5.000 metres in a 2.200 metre water depth, the well underwent an extensive data acquisition campaign. Murene South-1X confirmed the main hydrocarbon bearing interval with a gross thickness of around 50 metres, with excellent petrophysical properties. Murene South-1X will undergo a full conventional drill stem test (DST) to assess the production capacity of the Calao discovery”.
Currently, the Baleine field produces over 62,000Barrels of oil and more than 75Mllion cubic feet of gas per day MMscf/d from Phases 1 and 2. With the launch of Phase 3, production is expected to rise to 150,000BOPD and 200MMscf/d.
.
