Ivory Coast Is Said to Near Oil-Block Deals With Total, Eni
- Supermajors in talks for two areas each in African nation
- Neighboring Ghana is raising output to 200,000 barrels a day
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Ivory Coast is nearing production-sharing deals for oil and gas with Total SA and Eni SpA, according to two people familiar with the matter, signaling rising interest from supermajors to explore for crude in West Africa.
Talks between the government and the companies over separate deals for two blocks each are at an advanced stage and expected to be concluded before year-end, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. While the size of the companies’ holdings are yet to be finalized, their stakes will be at least 85 percent, with state-owned oil producer Petroci Holdings owning the remaining portion, said the people.