The exploration licences cover more than 12,000km off the southern coast of East Timor, in water depths of up to 3000m, Eni said in a statement.
“The success in obtaining this new acreage reinforces Eni’s presence in the Pacific area and is in line with its commitment to deepwater exploration,” the company said.
“The technological complexity of this new frontier area requires specific skills and expertise that are Eni’s key competences.”
The Italian company is participating in other exploration and production projects in the region and holds a 12% interest in East Timor’s Bayu Undan field.
A total of 11 areas were opened up in the bidding round, in which the East Timor Government received nine bids for six of the areas.
“The signing of the contracts marks the beginning of a new era for petroleum industry in Timor-Leste sovereign waters,” Energy Minister Jose Teixeira said.
