Glossary

Average reserve life index

Ratio between the amount of reserves at the end of the year and total production for the year.

Barrel/BBL

Volume unit corresponding to 159 liters. A barrel of oil corresponds to about 0.137 metric tons.

Boe (Barrel of Oil Equivalent)

Is used as a standard unit measure for oil and natural gas. From July 1, 2012, Eni has updated the conversion rate of gas to 5,492 cubic feet of gas equals 1 barrel of oil (it was 5,550 cubic feet of gas per barrel in previous reporting periods).

Conversion

Refinery process allowing the transformation of heavy fractions into lighter fractions. Conversion processes are cracking, visbreaking, coking, the gasification of refinery residues, etc. The ration of overall treatment capacity of these plants and that of primary crude fractioning plants is the conversion rate of a refinery. Flexible refineries have higher rates and higher profitability.

Elastomers (or Rubber)

Polymers, either natural or synthetic, which, unlike plastic, when stress is applied, return, to a certain degree, to their original shape, once the stress ceases to be applied. The main synthetic elastomers are polybutadiene (BR), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), ethylenepropylene rubber (EPR), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and nitrylic rubber (NBR).

Emissions of NOx (Nitrogen Oxides)

Total direct emissions of nitrogen oxides deriving from combustion processes in air. They include NOx emissions from flaring activities, sulphur recovery processes, FCC regeneration, etc. They include NO and NO₂ emissions and exclude N₂O emissions.

Emissions of SOx (Sulphur Oxides)

Total direct emissions of sulfur oxides including SO₂ and SO₃ emissions. Main sources are combustion plants, diesel engines (including maritime engines), gas flaring (if the gas contains H₂S), sulphur recovery processes, FCC regeneration, etc.

Enhanced recovery

Techniques used to increase or stretch over time the production of wells.

Green House Gases (GHG)

Gases in the atmosphere, transparent to solar radiation, can consistently trap infrared radiation emitted by the earth’s surface, atmosphere and clouds. The six relevant greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆). GHGs absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the range of infrared radiation determining the so called greenhouse phenomenon and the related increase of earth’s average temperature.

Infilling wells

Infilling wells are wells drilled in a producing area in order to improve the recovery of hydrocarbons from the field and to maintain and/or increase production levels.

LNG

Liquefied Natural Gas obtained through the cooling of natural gas to minus 160 °C at normal pressure. The gas is liquefied to allow transportation from the place of extraction to the sites at which it is transformed and consumed. One ton of LNG corresponds to 1,400 cubic meters of gas.

LPG

Liquefied Petroleum Gas, a mix of light petroleum fractions, gaseous at normal pressure and easily liquefied at room temperature through limited compression.

Mineral Potential (Potentially recoverable hydrocarbon volumes)

Estimated recoverable volumes which cannot be defined as reserves due to a number of reasons, such as the temporary lack of viable markets, a possible commercial recovery dependent on the development of new technologies, or for their location in accumulations yet to be developed or where evaluation of known accumulations is still at an early stage.

Natural gas liquids

Liquid or liquefied hydrocarbons recovered from natural gas through separation equipment or natural gas treatment plants. Propane, normal-butane and isobutane, isopentane and pentane plus, that used to be defined natural gasoline, are natural gas liquids.

Oil spills

Discharge of oil or oil products from refining or oil waste occurring in the normal course of operations (when accidental) or deriving from actions intended to hinder operations of business units or from sabotage by organized groups (when due to sabotage or terrorism).

Olefins (or Alkenes)

Hydrocarbons that are particularly active chemically, used for this reason as raw materials in the synthesis of intermediate products and of polymers.

Over/underlifting

Agreements stipulated between partners regulate the right of each to its share in the production of a set period of time. Amounts different from the agreed ones determine temporary over/underlifting situations.

Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)

Contract in use in African, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and Latin American countries, among others, regulating relationships between states and oil companies with regard to the exploration and production of hydrocarbons. The mineral right is awarded to the national oil company jointly with the foreign oil company that has an exclusive right to perform exploration, development and production activities and can enter into agreements with other local or international entities. In this type of contract the national oil company assigns to the international contractor the task of performing exploration and production with the contractor’s equipment and financial resources. Exploration risks are borne by the contractor and production is divided into two portions: “cost oil” is used to recover costs borne by the contractor and “profit oil” is divided between the contractor and the national company according to variable schemes and represents the profit deriving from exploration and production. Further terms and conditions of these contracts may vary from country to country.

Proved reserves

Proved oil and gas reserves are those quantities of oil and gas, which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible from a given date forward, from know reservoirs, and under existing economic conditions. The project to extract the hydrocarbons must have commenced or the operator must be reasonably certain that it will commence the project within a reasonable time.

Reserves

Quantities of oil and gas and related substances anticipated to be economically producible, as of a given date, by application of development projects to known accumulations. In addition, there must exist, or there must be a reasonable expectation that will exist, the legal right to produce or a revenue interest in the production, installed means of delivering oil and gas or related substances to market, and all permits and financing required to implement the project. Reserves can be: (i) developed reserves quantities of oil and gas anticipated to be through installed extraction equipment and infrastructure operational at the time of the reserves estimate; (ii) undeveloped reserves: oil and gas expected to be recovered from new wells, facilities and operating methods.

Ship-or-pay

Clause included in natural gas transportation contracts according to which the customer for which the transportation is carried out is bound to pay for the transportation of the gas also in case the gas is not transported.

Take-or-pay

Clause included in natural gas purchase contracts according to which the purchaser is bound to pay the contractual price or a fraction of such price for a minimum quantity of the gas set in the contract also in case it is not collected by the customer. The customer has the option of collecting the gas paid and not delivered at a price equal to the residual fraction of the price set in the contract in subsequent contract years.

Upstream/downstream

The term upstream refers to all hydrocarbon exploration and production activities. The term mid-downstream includes all activities inherent to oil industry subsequent to exploration and production. Process crude oil and oil-based feedstock for the production of fuels, lubricants and chemicals, as well as the supply, trading and transportation of energy commodities. It also includes the marketing business of refined and chemicals products.

Wholesale sales

Domestic sales of refined products to wholesalers/distributors (mainly gasoil), public administrations and end consumers, such as industrial plants, power stations (fuel oil), airlines (jet fuel), transport companies, big buildings and households. They do not include distribution through the service station network, marine bunkering, sales to oil and petrochemical companies, importers and international organizations.

Workover

Intervention on a well for performing significant maintenance and substitution of basic equipment for the collection and transport to the surface of liquids contained in a field.