Eni Starts Production at Angola Oilfield

Eni has started production from an Angolan deep offshore field with daily output seen more than doubling to a maximum of 100,000 barrels in the coming months, the Italian oil group said in a statement on Monday.

The West Hub Development Project currently produces 45,000 barrels per day. It is part of the Block 15/06, approximately 350 km northwest of Luanda and 130 km west of Soyo, Eni said.

Block 15/06, of which Eni is the operator with a 35 percent stake, will see overall daily output rise to 200,000 barrels with the start-up of the East Hub Development, expected in 2017.

Sonangol EP is the concessionaire of the block. Other partners of the joint venture are Sonangol Pesquisa e Producao (35 percent), SSI Fifteen Limited (25 percent) and Falcon Oil Holding Angola SA (5 percent), it said.

Reporting by Danilo Masoni