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Earnings Call: Q2 2016

Jul 29, 2016

Operator

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Eni second quarter results conference call hosted by Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer, and Massimo Mondazzi, Chief Financial and Risk Management Officer. For the duration of the call, you will be in listen-only mode. However, at the end of the call, you have the opportunity to ask questions. I'm now handing you over to your host to begin today's conference. Thank you.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Good afternoon and welcome to our first half 2016 result presentation. In the first half of this year, we continued to execute our strategy and perform in line with our plan. In particular, in E&P, we were able to fully offset the shutdown of Val d'Agri and disruptions in Nigeria, even managing to increase production by 0.5% year-on-year. Thanks to the flexibility coming from our exploration and the pipeline of new startups and ramp-ups that will continue in the next couple of years. Production growth contributed to an overall positive EBIT of almost half a billion euro, despite Brent being below $40 per barrel and the depressed gas price. Exploration has already beaten the full-year target with 550 million barrel of new resources discovered in the first half. In midstream, we recorded about EUR 400 million of EBIT, with all segments delivering positive results.

In refining, we continued the restructuring program, confirming the break-even guidance for 2016 of $4.50 per barrel. In chemical sector, delivered its third consecutive semester of strong result, thanks to the optimization of our operation, the positive market environment. In Gas & Power, we recorded positive result in the first half of the year, and we continue to progress in the turnaround plan that targets structural break-even from 2017. CapEx was reduced by 17% in the first half, confirming our target to reduce this by 20% for the full year, when we'll benefit from the completion of some major projects in Angola, Kazakhstan, and Norway. Overall, in the first half of 2016, the company generating an operating cash flow of EUR 3.1 billion. For the full year, we are in line with the planned operating coverage of CapEx at $50 per barrel.

In E&P, first half production was 1,734,000 barrel per day, 0.5% higher than last year. This result was achieved notwithstanding the shutdown of Val d'Agri that weighed in for 33,000 barrel per day, and additional disruption in Nigeria for 13,000 barrel per day. Our performance, partially supported by the PSA effect, has been mainly driven by our startups and ramp-ups. In Angola, where Block 1506 was already reached a plateau of 90,000 barrel per day. In Norway, where Goliat has successfully completed the ramp-up to about 100,000 barrel per day. In Egypt, where in only 10 months after discovery, we raised Nooros production to today's level of more than 70,000 barrel per day. Looking forward, we expect the result of restart of Val d'Agri field in the coming weeks, and we plan to add Kashagan back on stream in October.

Thanks to our performance in the first half and further growth, we confirm the full-year guidance of 1.76 million barrel a day. In exploration, we have already beaten the full-year target. We were targeting to find 400 million barrel of resources at $2.30 per barrel. After six months, we have already discovered in excess of 500 million barrel at around $0.60 for barrel. Main contribution come from Zohr appraisal phase and the major gas and condensate discoveries in the Egyptian shallow waters, confirming our strategy of refocusing on near-field activities that provide fast-track production. The new Nidoco wells and the Baltim SW-1 well enhanced the hydrocarbon potential of what we call the Great Nooros Area, now estimated to hold about three TCF of gas in place.

The Nooros field discovered in July 2015 is already producing 70,000 barrel per day and is expected to reach 130,000 barrel per day by October. In the first half, we have also continued to appraise on Zohr with three wells, all with positive results, that confirm the world-class potential of this super giant. Zohr-2 has been tested, confirming the great production potential and reservoir characteristics. We are currently drilling the fifth well in the southern part of the structure. During the first half, we invested EUR 4.9 billion, a reduction of 17% against the first half of 2015. This trend is in line with our guidance of reducing 2016 CapEx by 20%. The startups of Goliat and Kashagan, along with the completion of most capital-intensive activities of projects that will start up in 2017, will slow the spending pace in the coming months.

This CapEx reduction is even more remarkable if we take into account that we will deliver a growth in excess of 5% in 2017, thanks to the pipeline of material startups. We are on track on eight major new projects that will expand our cash generation with an overall equity production of around 500,000 barrels per day in the next two years. This new production is almost entirely operated and characterized by high oil content. Now a few comments on the economic results. Economic result was heavily impacted by the negative scenario in oil, accounting for 31% fall in Brent and 37% in gas price in Italy, and the refining margin that came down by 32%, with an overall EBIT reduction of EUR 2.8 billion versus the last year. In addition, one-offs related mainly to Val d'Agri shutdown and Gas & Power impacted by a further EUR 500 million.

All these negative elements have been partially compensated by performance improvements driven by a lower cost base, as well as efficiency gains in the mid downstream segment, which brought a EUR 1 billion of improvement, allowing us to reach a positive EBIT of EUR 770 million. At net level, we recorded a negative result of around EUR 250 million, penalized as already anticipated by the higher tax rate paid on positive result in PSAs. In terms of cash generation, in the first half, we generated EUR 3.1 billion of operating cash flow in spite of the weak price environment and the Val d'Agri production shutdown, reaching a leverage of 0.26. We expect to improve cash generation in the second half with Goliat now at plateau, the return of Val d'Agri, the startup of Kashagan, the growing production in Egypt, and other supporting actions.

Capital expenditures in the second half will benefit from the roll-off of recent large projects that have reached plateau and further optimization in the supply chain. This factor allow us to reiterate our guidance to cover CapEx from operating cash flow at $50 per barrel. To sum up, based on the first half operating performance, we update our target as follows. In E&P in 2016, we confirm our production at 1.76 million barrels per day and raise our exploration target by 50% to 600 million barrels. We confirm the 20% CapEx reduction in 2016, while targeting a production growth of more than 5% in 2017. In Gas & Power 2016, EBIT will be negative due to the lack of positive contribution from the GasTerra arbitration, but free cash flow will be largely positive. Structural breakeven from 2017 is confirmed.

In R&M, we confirm the refining sector's breakeven at $4.5 per barrel in 2016, that we target to be both EBIT and free cash flow positive. Finally, in chemicals, we expect the business to be both EBIT and free cash flow positive in 2016. Based on this, I will propose to my board an interim dividend of EUR 0.40 per share. Thank you for your attention. Now with the CFO and the other management team, we are ready to answer your questions.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, the Q&A session is now open. I'd like to remind you that if you want to register for your questions, please press star followed by one. To cancel the reservation, press star followed by two. Thank you. First question comes from Mr. Oswald Clint from Bernstein. Mr. Clint, please.

Oswald Clint
Senior Research Analyst, Bernstein

Yes, thank you very much. Good afternoon. I just wanted to ask a bit more about the Gas & Power and the implications of the GasTerra deal. I think you've given some comments there, but is there anything more we need to know about that? Are there any other conclusions to deals that are included in 2017 guidance or that structural breakeven next year Is not dependent on any further gas contract deals. That's the first question. Secondly, just on gearing, I think obviously it still looks pretty good. I think you say below 30% or 0.3 is still dependent on asset divestment deals progressing, I think, through this year into next year. Maybe an update on those particular divestments, please. Thank you.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Okay. Umberto Vergine, that is in charge of Gas & Power, is going to answer on the first question.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

Well, the GasTerra arbitration outcome, as we have seen, significantly impacted on 2016, because we have not cashed in retroactive payments. The GasTerra negotiation on this contract is not over. Basically, we are now starting a new price review, based on a different concept than the one that we have submitted so far. The GasTerra price is not defined by the present arbitration award. Yes, certainly the 2000 guide gas is impacted by the outcome of other negotiation. We have a number of negotiation ongoing, as we always indicated, on a number of counterparts. As a matter of fact, we have already achieved, in some cases, a positive result, like the reduction of the take-or-pay, like having today about 65% of our portfolio already hub-indexed. The process is not completed, and is a fundamental step in order to bring our business breakeven.

For next year, we expect to see, therefore, contribution by the renegotiation on the long-term contract. Contribution about cost reduction on transportation cost, on our logistic cost. We expect to have, like we had in the first half this year, positive contribution from our operating activity, and we have always a continuous good result from the retail business.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

A few comments about the leverage and how we are resilient about the situation of today. I give the floor to Massimo to talk about M&A and what we are doing. If we analyze the first six months, we see that we had, for the industry, very tough in terms of oil price, gas price. The refining margin for the first time was not anti-cycle to the oil price because we had a very low refining margin. For us, we have to add also the Val d'Agri for four months now, we are not in production. It has been really a stress test. I think that we really passed through a quite tough situation. If you look at what we have done, practically we have been able to compensate partially, but a price effect of EUR 2.8 billion, Val d'Agri and Gas & Power effect of EUR 500 million.

We produce an additional out of budget of EUR 1 billion, working on cost, on production. We recovered practically all the production we lost, so we can confirm the budget. We have been able, in this very particular period, to have a leverage that is now at 26%, that is the best in the industry. I think that that is, for me, is a very important signal. That means that the fundamental, the structure, the basic elements of our industrial profile are absolutely robust. That now, I hope that is going to be better. Also, the price is lower. We are going to have a lot of new production. I'm really confident about the future. Now, Massimo can elaborate on the M&A.

Massimo Mondazzi
Chief Financial and Risk Management Officer, Eni

Hi, Oswald. I'm sure you understand that I cannot elaborate in detail on the disposal divestment plan. Let me say that up to now, we don't have any reason to revise our guidance in terms of disposals, even in the first, you remember the guidance we gave during our strategy presentation last March. In particular, we don't have any reason to modify the guidance related to the first two years. What we expect to divest in 2016, 2017. The process ongoing are, you understand, a bit complex, and we cannot announce anything until the final signature. Negotiations are ongoing, and I would say, are very well advanced.

Oswald Clint
Senior Research Analyst, Bernstein

Very useful. Thank you.

Operator

Next question comes from Mr. Biraj Borkhataria from RBC. Mr. Borkhataria, please.

Biraj Borkhataria
Analyst, RBC

Hi, thanks for taking my question. I had a couple on exploration. Obviously, that seems to perform better than expectations. You've upgraded the guidance there. I was wondering if you could just give us a quick run through on the key wells that you're drilling in the second half of the year. As a related question to that, would any of the prospects you're drilling in the second half of the year be potential fast track options, which would imply potential upside to your production target? Thanks.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Luca is going to answer for the explorations.

Luca Bertelli
Chief Exploration Officer, Eni

Okay. In the second half, we will continue exploration near field drilling in Great Nooros Area, where we expect positive results coming. This means that we could add peak production in a shorter time. As you see, the ramp up of Nooros is really impressive, what we achieve in one year. We will further continue appraising Zohr discoveries. We have some further drilling in Indonesia last quarter this year that could add some additional potential. We are optimistic about the guidance we updated.

Biraj Borkhataria
Analyst, RBC

Thanks. Very helpful.

Operator

Next question come from Mr. Thomas Adolff from Credit Suisse. Mr. Adolff, please.

Thomas Adolff
Analyst, Credit Suisse

Good afternoon. Just got a few questions. I want to go back to the disposal plan, your target is EUR 7 billion over the next four years, 80% of which is front-end loaded. I know you said gas retail is not part of the plan. Again, one of your competitors decided to include specialty chemicals in the plan when it wasn't initially, because the market for selling upstream assets is obviously challenging, and you don't want to leave value on the table. I guess my question is gas retail still off the table? The second question I have, I know you can't really go into details on the current discussions on Mozambique LNG, on the disposal side again.

You previously said, you were going to monetize 15%-20%, I believe the intention now is to monetize a little bit more than that. I wondered why you are now planning on selling a bit more, and whether you're also willing to give up operatorship if the partner is technically very capable. The final question on Zohr, you've drilled four wells. The fifth is ongoing. I believe you said, it's looking perhaps better than expected. I wondered whether you're still sticking with your initial resource estimate. Thank you.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

First point relating to the retail guys. First of all, we are not in the need now to sell the retail gas. We said at the very beginning that it should be done in an opportunistic way. We don't need now. We are more focused on the, what we call dual exploration. These are exploration asset where we found large and giant fields and a lot of reserves, and we have a high stake. That is our priority. We are working meanwhile on the retail gas to make it more efficient and create a real company and a diversified business. We are going to look at that in an opportunistic way, is an additional upside potential that we have in our end.

Luca Bertelli
Chief Exploration Officer, Eni

For Mozambique, we have been clear from the beginning that we're going to sell about 50% of our 20 or 25 in term of percentage point, so 50% of our stake, and we are working on that. Our model is to remain and keep the operatorship or keep, in any case, a clear control on the asset, the asset that we discover. We've also got other exploration blocks in Mozambique. We have a strong knowledge. We have been, with Eni, the first company to believe in this area, that is a super green area it was. That is what we wanted to do and what we want to continue to do. Zohr, we are not in a position to make any update on the resources. It's been, I think, very positive.

The north of the block is, as you said, better than expected, we're not now ready to deliver new figures.

Thomas Adolff
Analyst, Credit Suisse

Thank you.

Operator

Next question come from Miss Irene Himona from Societe Generale. Ms. Himona, please.

Irene Himona
Analyst, Societe Generale

Thank you. Good afternoon. I have two questions, please. Firstly, on Val d'Agri, the plant was stopped, You then say that you worked on upgrading it, You will restart it very soon. I wonder if you can share with us what the problem was initially, what the reason for stopping it was, I'm just wondering if there's any read-through for other operations, if there's any systemic risk, or was this a one-off completely? My second question is on the reorganization you announced today of internal control and risk management. I wonder if you can share with us what sparked the reorganization and what your objectives are in this. Thank you.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Before Val d'Agri, the reason was linked to the water injection and some interpretation of the water content. We expressed clearly our position. We are going to use international standard.

I exclude that this kind of event can be replicated in other operations. What we have done, we just made a marginal changes to our process, for a different segregation of the water coming from the gas, but that's all. I think, really, that there's no impact because what we are doing in Val d'Agri is what we are doing, and not us, but all the company are doing in the oil water injection in our field. I don't think that is any problem. The reorganization is really a maintenance. We made three different kind of move. The first one is the risk management, integrated risk management that is reporting to me.

It's been moved for a while with the CFO, now we update the structure, and now he's reporting to me, that is, following the bylaw of the company, is my direct responsibility. We have been a little bit more innovative for the compliance because we create a focal and central point for the compliance. That means we are putting together the compliance of all the different kind of units. We are working, it's an open exercise because it will be finalized in the next month. At the moment, it will be with Massimo, that with the human resources, is working on these initiatives, and before the end of the year, will report it to me. The third point is Versalis. Versalis now is reporting to me. We are working very hard to create a Versalis.

I think the first result in the last one half year are very successful because Versalis first lost, has a negative EBIT for 20 years, with some also negative cash flow. In the last one half years, the EBIT is positive, break-even. For the first time, we have also a free cash flow. That means that they made their investment, and they have also a free cash flow. We want to follow very closely to finalize the transformation that started a few years ago. For that reason, we decided with the board to have this unit reporting to me.

Irene Himona
Analyst, Societe Generale

Thank you very much.

Operator

Next question comes from Mr. Hamish Clegg from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Clegg, please.

Hamish Clegg
Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Good afternoon, gentlemen. A few quick, how you doing? Questions from my side. First of all, just on Kashagan, we've heard from Shell already this week that it's all on schedule. Just wondered if you could give us a tiny bit of color on the commissioning. You mentioned earlier this year that it would be starting commissioning in the summer months, where it's easier to install the pipes. Love to get a very quick update. Secondly, on Versalis, with the deal falling through, could you really tell us if Versalis is still up for sale now that we're including it back in the forecast, and maybe why the deal fell through? Thirdly, just on Gas & Power. Gas & Power tends to be a slightly less volatile division within many of your peers, we see quite a lot of volatility in earnings.

I know the gas tariff arbitration is not ideal. Could you maybe explain a couple of things? Will this become more stable in the coming years, as and when you reach the plan, and can you define what structural breakeven means? Just finally, and the last question, I promise, on Zohr. One of the things I noticed is that you've recently been in negotiations with Cyprus, and you also mentioned earlier on the call that the north of the block has been better than expected. Do we have any potential read-across the opportunities outside the block and in Cyprus? Do you feel this structure maybe continues?

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Antonio Vella will answer about Kashagan.

Antonio Vella
Chief Upstream Officer, Eni

The pipeline rehabilitation activity are progressing ahead of schedule, and the overall progress as of today is 95% versus the 91% planned. The entire pipeline welding and the laying have been completed, and we are closely to complete all the hydraulic tests of the pipe. We anticipated to restart the production in October with a short ramp-up to reach a plateau level around 230 of gross production within the end of the year.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Versalis. I have to say that the future of Versalis is in the hand of Versalis. What we are going to do with Versalis depend on what Versalis is able to do. I gave very straight and clear targets to Versalis. I want a company that is able to produce a cash to justify the investment. For that reason, now it's reporting to me. We have a close contact with the management. At the moment, we consolidate again Versalis, Eni. That means that there is no discussion. That means that Versalis has to demonstrate to be a company that is able to win the challenge and to get the result. I saw that they are very motivated. The last year was a year of negotiation. It's a wonderful company in term of proprietary technologies and market position, and also optimization of products, and competencies, and R&D.

I said that is not our core business, but it's close to us in terms of history, it's close to us in terms of positioning, close to our refineries, I want really to understand if they can get these results. If they can get these results, we'll see. Now, in the next month, in the next year, the focus is to improve the efficiency and improve the results. For the Gas & Power, Umberto is going to answer to your questions.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

Yes, thank you. I would like to stress one aspect, that the impact of negotiation or arbitration or even portfolio, like take-or-pay or recovery or take-or-pay, is always giving a disproportionate effect on a single year when one of these events occurs. Creating, therefore, somehow, a mask to what is the underlying business activity. When we say that we confirm our guidance for next year based on basically three pillars. One that is the good performance of the division, that, as I said, is not really evident when you have lack of one-offs of the size of the one that we had in this half of the year.

We are continuously working on bringing our cost of supply in line with the market prices. We are controlling the optimization of our logistics cost. Those are certainly big objectives, but they are the objectives on which we are always working, and we believe that the progress that we have achieved so far is leading us in that direction. I hope that this somehow qualitatively answers to your question.

Hamish Clegg
Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Could you just, on that one bit, just define what structural breakeven means? Just for the circle.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

Structural breakeven means, for us, to have positive result from our commercial activity. To have aligned our supply gas cost to market condition. Even the future renegotiation becomes a maintenance and not a major turnaround as we are doing at the moment.

Hamish Clegg
Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Is that breakeven at EBIT, at cash flow, EBITDA?

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

We're talking about EBIT.

Hamish Clegg
Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

EBIT, okay.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

In this half, our guidance for the cash flow, even for this year, is extremely positive. We will be just below EUR 1 billion, and this, without having cashed in the GasTerra outcome of the arbitration. This is due to other initiatives that we've been able to put in place, also as an addition to that.

Hamish Clegg
Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Okay. I think the last is just Cyprus Zohr.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Yes, Cyprus and Zohr. We are discussing with Cyprus authority. We are in Cyprus, and we are discussing in the last period also, because there is a bid round ongoing. Zohr is not because of Egypt. As we said at the very beginning, we stated, when we talk about the gas at Zohr, there is not any kind of overlap or any Egyptian Zohr structure that is in the Cyprus border. That is quite clear. We are interested to work with Cyprus because we have three blocks, and now we offer four other blocks, as you know. That is the reason why we are discussing with them.

Hamish Clegg
Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Thank you so much.

Operator

Next question comes from Mr. Massimo Bonisoli from Equita. Mr. Bonisoli, please.

Massimo Bonisoli
Analyst, Equita

Thank you. Good afternoon, gentlemen. 3 questions. The first on Nigeria, if you can give us some color on current production levels there, considering the stoppages over the past few months. The second question on Venezuela. Could you give us an update on the receivable in the balance sheet there, and some color on the situation in that country? The third, the effect on your midterm business plan of the inclusion of Versalis. Sorry to be back again on Versalis. Just some number on the sustaining CapEx, considering Q2 CapEx was pretty low. Thank you.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Antonio Vella is going to answer about Nigeria situation and production.

Antonio Vella
Chief Upstream Officer, Eni

As recently, we concluded part of the repairing of the sabotage we have got last couple of weeks. The gas to the Nigeria LNG is on stream regularly. The gas sales agreement. The oil production is ramping up slowly, and we hope that no additional sabotage to come on stream again in a month from now.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

You want to say something else about Venezuela?

Antonio Vella
Chief Upstream Officer, Eni

In Venezuela, mainly we are talking about Cardón Perla field, as you know, is in production since last year. Concerning the delay on payment invoice, we are negotiating with PDVSA. We are in an advanced stage on a securitization agreement. The securitization agreement have got three pillars. One, the export of gas in Colombia, which we expect to deliver gas on the third quarter. The condensate production allocated to the joint venture, the securitization is ongoing, the negotiation. We hope that by August and September to sign these two securitization agreement, then our default will be resolved.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Now for Versalis, we have our Managing Director of Versalis, Daniele Ferrari, that can answer to the question.

Daniele Ferrari
CEO, Versalis

In terms of sustaining CapEx for Versalis for the remaining of the year, we are planning to have a number around EUR 85 million. This is, as Mr. Descalzi was saying before, entirely covered by our cash flow generation.

Massimo Bonisoli
Analyst, Equita

Thank you.

Operator

Next question come from Mr. Giuseppe Rebuzzini from Fidentiis. Mr. Rebuzzini, please.

Giuseppe Rebuzzini
Analyst, Fidentiis

Good afternoon, gentlemen. Thank you for taking my question. I've got three questions. The first is about the sensitivity you gave about the operating profit to the Brent price. If we look at the second quarter results, that does not appear to be valid anymore. Could you please give us some more insight about that or some additional color about the sensitivity? The second question is a follow-up on GasTerra. To be more detailed, if I may, will there be any P&L or cash flow impact in the second half of 2016 out of the result of the arbitration? Are you going to make a EUR 1 billion provision following the result of the arbitration? The third question is again on the Gas & Power.

Could you please give us a bit more color about the negative performance in the second quarter, in particular, maybe looking at the different parts of the business, retail, midstream, LNG, and so on. Thank you very much.

Massimo Mondazzi
Chief Financial and Risk Management Officer, Eni

Giuseppe, about the sensitivity. On annual basis, we can confirm, as far as the Brent sensitivity, every dollar change, plus or minus, would represent a reduction increase of around $100 million. I am talking about the cash flow effect. In terms of SERM, our refining margin, every dollar changed would represent a change in our cash flow of around $170 million in terms of cash flow. On top of this, much more difficult to be predicted, there are changes also on the gas price, because one of the reason why we have lost some cash in the first half this year has been the drop in the hub price in Europe and mainly in Italy. Our gas production in Italy is sold based on this price. Also the Libyan production that come to Italy, some way is affected by this change.

I do not have a precise number of this, but I would say that this effect applied to the first half would be in the range of around EUR 300 million of negative effect. Just to give you the reference number in terms of gas price and to give you a guidance, we are talking about PSV, so an hub Italian price, that first semester was EUR 246 per 1,000 standard cubic meter. In the first semester 2016, we registered EUR 154 per 1,000 standard cubic meter.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

The award of the arbitration on the GasTerra two contract was in June. All the potential impact on 2016 has been reported in the first half result, and therefore, we do not have anything to consider for the second part of the year. About the performance of Gas & Power on the second quarter compared to second quarter 2015, we have a lower result for about EUR 160 million. If we consider that this year we had a much lower positive impact from retroactive factors or one-off factors like we had last year, basically for make-up gas and for undeliveries from our suppliers, this difference between the two quarters is EUR 92 million. This difference does not come from retail, because retail activity was substantially stable between the two quarters and of the two years.

It comes from midstream, and this is almost all related to the decrease of the LNG price that we had this year across the international market. The fact that for us, some of our sales contracts that were signed a few years ago in the Far East have expired. Overall, these components also play an impact in the first half result. If we compare first half to first half, we will be actually, again, removing the one-off and the retroactive effect, basically substantially unchanged with last year.

Giuseppe Rebuzzini
Analyst, Fidentiis

Okay. Thank you very much.

Operator

Last question comes from Mr. Rob West from Redburn. Mr. West, please.

Rob West
Analyst, Redburn

Oh, thanks very much. I'd like to ask two, please. The ramp-up at Nooros, there's quite significant volumes coming through there, and I have to confess, I don't actually know much about the mechanics of that project and what you're doing. I was hoping you could spell out a bit, just what is the actual work that has to take place to ramp those volumes further? Clearly using existing infrastructure. If you just give us more of an idea, so it gives us a sense of the cost associated with that would be great. Secondly, just got one on Iraq, where it looks like there's also a higher contribution of volumes there.

Could you split that out for us in terms of what's ongoing PSC volumes and whether there was any cost recovery barrels coming through that number, and how you expect that to evolve over the remainder of the year? Thanks.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

Well, I try to give you an answer about Nooros. He said that we didn't say a lot about Nooros because Nooros it was so fast that we didn't have time to talk about it. It's really a very fast project, but that is coming from our strategy. We said, and that said, we said four, five years ago that we want to go conventional, we want to go close to our facility, we want to discover oil and gas that we can find and put in production very quickly. We don't want to have stranded resources that are super giant, that we take 40 years to take in production. That is the result. This new big field has been discovered at the same time of Zohr. Zohr was so big that nobody talked about Nooros. Nooros, very quickly, there is a shallow water.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Shallow water is more offshore, but has some also some rising onshore. It's now something that you grow very quickly. The wells are very fast. We have already all the facility, Abu Madi facility, other facility close to that. The project itself is very easy because you have just to drill a well, drill a well that it takes a few weeks, 1, 2 weeks, and then you have to complete the well and lay down the pipe, and sometimes you have already pipe because the grid is very present there, and then you reach very quickly, a few kilometers, the existing facilities. We start with half TCF, 1 TCF, then 2 TCF now, 3 TCF now, and we can go farther.

Umberto Vergine
Chief Midstream Gas and Power Officer, Eni

Also in the future, the future development will be very easy because, also if you have to start with the first platform and then use other existing gas terminal, treatment terminal, you have to remember that in any situation very similar in Congo, we discovered Nené, and we realized the platform, and we started production after 7 months. I think that we got now very good skill in this fast track development. Costs are very low. Yes, costs are absolutely low. Remember that our exploration cost for this year was set at $2.20 per barrel, and now we are, at the moment, our cost per barrel is $0.60 or $0.60. We discover a huge amount of reserves. The reserves that we discovered are already in production. Nooros start its production in September, discover in July last year.

As I said in the presentation, in October, it is going to produce $130,000 barrels per day. That is the reason why we could compensate very quickly Val d'Agri. That is the reason why we can confirm our guidance. The project will be

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Will be developed in this way. For sure, we are going in the next phase, but in parallel and with the existing cash flow to develop also platform. We already have also the gas treatment systems. I think that we're going to have very good news and very good return, and we have to consider that it's a well gas, so we have also condensate. That is in brief the story of Nooros.

Rob West
Analyst, Redburn

Thanks for the story.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Now after the story of Nooros, now Antonio will talk about the story of Iraq.

Antonio Vella
Chief Upstream Officer, Eni

Yes, thank you. Zubair production today is moving between 340-250,000 barrels per day. Concerning any payment for Eni, I think we have no overdue, and we already recovered the quarter one. We are already on planning to recover the quarter two, and then we're proceeding for the third one. Till now, things are moving quite well.

Rob West
Analyst, Redburn

If my line happens to be still open, could you address that specific question around, is there a cost recovery coming through that volume you're booking right now, and maybe say how big that is?

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

That is very simple. As you talk about Iraq as a PSC, it's not a PSC. It's a service country. We recover our cost, then we have a fixed remuneration that it can stay between $1.6 and $2.2 per barrel. That's all. The split is very easy to do because you have a baseline, and above the baseline, that was $180,000 per day. Above the baseline, you made the difference, and that you apply $2 per barrel, and the rest is to recover your cost. It's not a PSC.

Rob West
Analyst, Redburn

All right. I think I meant TSC as in technical service.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Sorry.

Rob West
Analyst, Redburn

Service contract. Sorry, I wasn't clear, but I'll take that one offline. Thank you.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Okay, thank you very much. Okay, if there's no other questions, thank you very much. No, other questions?

Operator

Yes. I'm sorry, sir. There is another question. The last, I hope.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

No.

Operator

Oh, I'm sorry.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Why you hope?

Operator

No, I'm very sorry. I used the bad word. Up until now. Mr. Jon Rigby. I'm sorry.

Jon Rigby
Analyst, UBS

Yeah.

Operator

Mr. Rigby, please. Thank you.

Jon Rigby
Analyst, UBS

Yeah, thank you. Knew it was me, that's why she was saying she hoped it was the last question. Can I just, a couple of follow-ups, just on Mozambique. Can you just confirm or describe the mechanics between your intention to sanction the floating LNG, I think in the second half of this year. I think you said 3Q actually before now, and the sales process. Are those two interlinked in any way? Is one contingent on the other or the other way around? Then just to go back on Kashagan. Fast ramp up, as you indicated, into the end of the year. Are there any plans to take the field down again next year for any kind of maintenance or whatever, sort of shakedown or anything happening, or can we expect it to move reasonably evenly up to plateau and then hold? Thanks.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Roberto Casula is going to answer about Mozambique, and Antonio about Kashagan.

Roberto Casula
Chief Development, Operations and Technology Officer, Eni

Well, actually, there is no link between sales process and project activities. Project activities are progressing on both fronts, the offshore with Coral South Floating LNG project and the onshore. As you said, we are targeting the FID by the end of 2016, fourth quarter, and this process is well advanced. We'll continue while the other exercise is taking place.

Concerning Kashagan, as I told you, 230,000 barrel gross production will be reached by the end of the year. Therefore, we will going to stabilize production for a few months to allow the partial depletion of the field before the startup of the gas injection on mid-2017 to reach the full field plateau, as you know, 370,000 barrel oil production. We don't expect any shutdown during 2016.

Jon Rigby
Analyst, UBS

An exit rate for 2017 would be at the sort of nominal peak, the 370 for the experimental phase?

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Yes. In mid-2017, we will reach 370,000 oil production.

Jon Rigby
Analyst, UBS

Brilliant. Thank you very much.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Thanks.

Operator

No more question at the moment.

Claudio Descalzi
CEO, Eni

Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you to all, and we have closed the conference call.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, the conference is over. Thank you for calling Eni.