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Côte d'Ivoire boasts a well-established domestic gas market with decades of natural gas production driving its electricity sector expansion. Thanks to its mature gas market, Côte d’Ivoire has become one of Africa’s most resilient energy sectors leveraging its gas-to-power capacity to deliver stable baseload generation and reliable electricity supply across the region. Natural gas now accounts for 57% of the country’s installed power generation capacity, reinforcing the role of gas as a key driver of energy security and enabling the integration of renewable energy into the national grid.
Recent discoveries by Eni, including the Baleine field that began producing in 2023 and the Calao discovery, have positioned Côte d'Ivoire’s gas sector for a new phase of growth. Their developments could help mitigate production decline and further expand the use of gas beyond power. However, the country’s rising energy demand, driven by economic expansion and population growth, is expected to outpace current production levels, creating supply constraints. This presents opportunities for additional domestic gas exploration & production and regional infrastructure expansion to access the import market.
GDP (2024)
Proven Gas Reserves
Gas Production
Population (2023)
Population in 2050
Côte d'Ivoire's gas reserves have been flat for a decade but will grow following successful discoveries of gas by ENI at Baleine and Calao
Côte d'Ivoire has produced oil & gas almost three decades, but production stagnated for most of the past twenty years. Eni’s Baleine discovery - Côte d'Ivoire’s largest to date - has ushered in a new phase of growth and renewed momentum in the sector. Production began at Baleine in August 2023 with an output of 17.5 MMscf/d in its first phase, helping to grow domestic gas production to a daily average of almost 264 MMscf that year.
At the end of 2024, Eni commissioned the FSO Yamoussoukro to ramp up production to 70 MMscf/d in a second phase. A third phase, expected to reach FID in 2025, will complete the development by 2026, ramping up production to 200 MMscf/d.
Until then, Foxtrot International, operator of CI-27, remains Côte d'Ivoire’s largest gas producer, delivering some 220 MMscf/d in 2023 — over 80% of the country’s total production. Meanwhile, mature fields are in decline. Production from the CNR-operated Espoir (CI-26) and Baobab (CI-40) fields fell by half between 2018 and 2023, reaching about 26 MMscf/d in 2023; while PETROCI’s Lion & Panthère (CI-11) fields produced some 8 MMscf/d. These trends highlight the need for new sources of production to sustain long-term supply, in a country where domestic gas supports about 1.6 GW of power generation capacity.
Côte d'Ivoire’s gas industry is closely tied to its gas-to-power sector with the country relying on gas supplied by domestic fields for almost 60% of its electricity production. Azito and CIPREL remain key hubs for gas-fired power and have undergone continuous expansions with the integration of combined-cycle technology to improve efficiency and meet rising energy demand.
To support economic and population growth the country is expanding generation capacity with new power projects. The 255 MW Atinkou Power Plant was recently commissioned, with a 135 MW second phase planned to further boost output. Additionally, a planned 372 MW combined-cycle power plant in Songon was reiterated in December 2024. As these developments come online, securing sufficient gas supply will be crucial to keeping power stations operational and ensuring reliable electricity domestic and regional consumers.
Côte d'Ivoire plays indeed a crucial role in the West African Power Pool (WAPP) via which it exports electricity, supporting regional energy stability through gas-fired power exports. The country supplies electricity to Liberia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Benin, Togo and other neighboring countries, leveraging major interconnections like the 225 kV Côte d'Ivoire-Liberia and the 330 kV Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana interconnectors. In 2023, it exported 1,052 GWh of electricity to West Africa, solidifying its position as a regional energy hub.
While recent discoveries will help ease some supply pressures, Côte d'Ivoire's rising energy consumption means that additional gas supply sources must be developed. The continued development of Baleine and future development of Calao will certainly help. Early estimates indicate that Calao could potentially even support an export business in the future.
Additional field developments by PETROCI and Murphy Oil will be equally essential to meeting future demand. In 2024, PETROCI issued a tender for a rig to develop the Kudu, Eland, and Gnou (KEG) discoveries with drilling set for 2025 to ultimately supply domestic gas. Murphy Oil plans to start drilling by late 2025, with the Paon oil & gas discovery a likely candidate for early development, requiring $250-500 million in CAPEX.
To secure future gas supply, Côte d'Ivoire is also considering liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, with state-backed initiatives in Abidjan and private-sector-led projects in San Pedro. Another strategic option is the Africa Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) – or Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline – whose first phase seeks to extend the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) from Ghana to Abidjan and San Pedro. The connection would offer a potential long-term supply solution to bolster energy security and support the region’s growing electricity demand.
Côte d'Ivoire's gas market is undergoing a major transformation, with new production from Baleine and promising appraisal prospects like Calao. However, rising energy demand and economic growth necessitate ongoing investment in domestic gas development and infrastructure expansion. LPG consumption is also growing, prompting government efforts to expand storage and transport capacity, particularly aiming to increase access in hinterland areas. One approach under consideration is repurposing the existing petroleum product pipelines between Abidjan and Yamoussoukro for LPG distribution, ensuring broader energy access across the country. The next few years will be crucial in determining how Côte d'Ivoire balances its gas supply and demand, leveraging both domestic resources and regional integration opportunities to sustain economic growth and energy security.
