A consortium of ENI, Petroci, and Vitol has signed off on the third phase of development at the Baleine oil and gas field off the southwestern coast of Ivory Coast, committing $4 billion in new investment. The offshore site, which has been operational since August 2023, is expected to more than double output — from 60,000 to 150,000 barrels per day for oil and from 80 to 200 million cubic feet per day for gas. Ivory Coast's mines minister says the expansion will strengthen the country's energy security and support industrialisation, though a separate challenge remains: the national refinery (Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage) is not equipped to process Baleine's grade of crude oil, meaning a new refining facility would need to be built before the oil can be refined domestically.