Eni has discovered gas and condensates offshore Congo in the exploration prospect of Nkala Marine, the company said in a news release.

The prospect is located in the Marine XII Block, about 20 km (12 miles) from the coast and 3 km (1.9 miles) from the Nene Marine field, already in production.

The finding is expected to have a potential of 250-350 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in place, Eni said. During the production test, the well provided more than 300,000 standard cubic meters per day (scm/d) of gas and associated condensates. The well, drilled in a water depth of 38 m (125 ft), encountered a major gas and condensates buildup in the presalt clastic geological sequence of lower Cretaceous age, crossing a hydrocarbon column of 240 m (787 ft), the release said.

Eni said it will start the evaluation of Nkala Marine through new delineation wells. Meantime, with the joint venture partners, the company will begin studies for its commercial development.

The exploration of the pre-salt sequences continues to deliver new discoveries all along the West Africa’s margin and confirms Eni’s exploration technologies effectiveness, given the technical complexity of these plays, the release said.

Eni estimates the resources in place of oil and gas discoveries made in the pre-salt Marine XII block to be about 5.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent (Bboe). The production of the block, started last December, is increasing and it currently stands at around 15,000 boe/d.

Eni, through its subsidiary Eni Congo, is the operator of Marine XII block with a 65% stake, the release said. The other partners are New Age, with 25% stake, and the Congolese state company Societé Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC), with 10% stake.