Eni Ghana Begins Drilling Operations off the Coast of Ghana

Eni Ghana, a subsidiary of Italy’s energy giant Eni, has commenced drilling activities off the coast of Ghana using a seventh-generation drillship previously employed by the company in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa.

The Deep Value Driller (DVD) drillship, chartered by Saipem from Deep Value Driller, is responsible for drilling operations located approximately 60 nautical miles off Ghana’s coast, near the FPSO John Agyekum Kufour, as part of the broader development plan for the Sankofa field.

Eni Ghana, in collaboration with its partners in the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) project – Vitol Upstream Ghana (Vitol) and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) – views the initiation of drilling operations at the Sankofa East 1X Side Track 2 as a significant milestone in advancing Ghana’s upstream energy sector.

After completing its activities at the Baleine oil and gas field in Côte d’Ivoire, the Deep Value Driller mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) with advanced automated technology transitioned to Ghana to unlock additional value from the OCTP block, contributing to long-term production sustainability and Ghana’s energy security.

Eni, as the operator with a 44.4% stake in the OCTP project, together with Vitol (35.6%) and GNPC (20%), is committed to various initiatives in training, economic diversification, and access to essential services like water, sanitation, and energy.

Prior to the drilling campaign, Eni and its OCTP partners engaged with stakeholders, including over 800 fishermen and local leaders along Ghana’s coastline, to promote collaboration and ensure open communication, working closely with regulatory bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA).

Eni’s equity production in Ghana currently stands at about 34,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, encompassing both oil and gas fields. The OCTP project includes non-associated gas fields Sankofa and Gye Nyame, along with the Sankofa East oil field.

Aside from its activities in Ghana, Eni is involved in various projects across Africa, such as the Congo LNG project and the development of a second phase with a floating LNG (FLNG) unit set to begin operations by the end of 2025.

Eni continues to expand its global portfolio, recently launching a subsea tie-back to its floating production unit (FPU) in Indonesia’s Kutei Basin.