GA Drilling, a pioneer in drilling innovations, announced that it has entered into a technical cooperation program with Petrobras, one of the largest energy companies in the world. In cooperation with Cenpes, Petrobras’ research, development, and innovation center, the partnership aims to revolutionize the industry by bringing a next-generation downhole drilling system to fruition, significantly reducing well construction costs and risk in challenging drilling applications.
The partnership pairs Petrobras with GA Drilling’s technology, a downhole anchoring and drive system that will form the cornerstone of an advanced autonomous reeled drilling system. The collaboration aims to enable deep and complex offshore wells to be drilled from a light well intervention vessel rather than a more costly semi-sub or drill ship, saving 30% of well construction cost.
“Taken together, the benefits of our drilling technologies equal better efficiency, leading to lower costs, smaller operational footprint, and ultimately, lower risk overall,” said Igor Kocis, CEO and co-founder of GA Drilling, a leader in unlocking geothermal energy anywhere through innovative technologies and expertise. “Working with Petrobras and Cenpes enables us to continue development at lightning speed, utilizing their state-of-the-art testing infrastructure and environments to advance our mission of global geothermal energy adoption.”
GA Drilling’s novel system significantly improves drilling efficiency and enables the replacement of conventional drill pipe with reeled continuous tubing, thus minimizing pipe handling hazards, tripping times, and well control risk. The new technology includes sophisticated drilling automation and control systems and real-time wireline communications to the surface that optimizes and drives the drilling process downhole at the rock face rather than many thousands of feet above.