CNBC Africa | 6 March 2026
Eni confirms deal with Nigeria to split OPL 245 oilfield into four licences
by Francesca Piscioneri and Francesca Landini, Reuters
Italian energy group Eni said on Thursday it had signed a deal with Nigeria to split the OPL 245 oilfield into four separate licences, confirming an earlier Reuters exclusive.
The agreement includes the “mutually satisfactory settlement” of all claims related to OPL 245 and the termination of an international arbitration procedure, the Italian energy major said.
The deal allows the conversion of the existing OPL 245 license into two development licences and two exploration licences.
Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited, an Eni unit, will act as operator, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and Shell as partners.
On Monday a source told Reuters that Nigeria has broken up the OPL 245 block into four assets to be operated by Eni and Shell, potentially settling the future of the field after it was embroiled in one of the oil industry’s biggest corruption trials.
Italian prosecutors put Eni and Shell on trial, alleging that most of the $1.3 billion purchase price for the licence for OPL 245 was siphoned off to Nigerian politicians and middlemen, but the two companies and their executives were all acquitted in 2021.
Eni has been operating in Nigeria since 1962, with activities ranging from hydrocarbon exploration and production to power generation and community development.
