Geothermal specialist GA Drilling announced a technical cooperation agreement with Petrobras and its research and development arm, Cenpes, earlier this month. The partnership aims to develop a new downhole drilling system based on GA Drilling's technology that was designed to lower the cost of deep geothermal drilling and assess its potential to reduce costs for complex offshore well construction.
GA Drilling has developed a downhole anchoring and drive system, which the company claims will "form the cornerstone" of an autonomous reeled drilling technology that it hopes to develop alongside Petrobras.
Their proposed innovation is intended to be deployed from a light well intervention vessel, offering a lower-cost alternative to the heavier and more expensive drillships or semisubmersibles. GA Drilling and Petrobras anticipate that such a drilling system will reduce overall well construction costs by as much as 30%.
“Taken together, the benefits of our drilling technologies equal better efficiency, leading to lower costs, smaller operational footprint, and ultimately, lower risk overall,” Igor Kočiš, cofounder and CEO of GA Drilling, said in a statement.
The joint announcement also said GA Drilling will continue developing its technology for geothermal applications using Petrobras' state-of-the-art testing facilities. This includes the Cenpes innovation center in Rio de Janeiro which houses more than 100 laboratories and pilot facilities.
GA Drilling highlights that its technology eliminates the reliance on conventional drillpipe by using a reeled tubing system. Along with mitigating pipe-handling risks, the Slovakian company with offices in Houston also boasts that its technologies will deliver improved tripping times and well control.
GA Drilling added that some of its latest developments include drilling automation and control technologies along with real-time downhole communications via wireline.
Earlier this year, GA Drilling and Swiss-based energy startup ZeroGeo Energy announced plans to create a 12-MW geothermal power plant in Germany. The proposed project would mark the debut of GA Drilling’s "anchorbit" technology that is designed to provide enhanced drilling stability.
