Petrobras goes on quest to slash costs and risks arising from deepwater drilling ops with technology

GA Drilling, a Slovakia-headquartered deep drilling tech provider, has entered into a technical cooperation program with Brazil’s Petrobras, which, together with the Brazilian player’s Cenpes research, development, and innovation center, is targeting a revamp of the downhole drilling system to slash well construction costs and risk in challenging drilling applications.

According to GA Drilling, the combination of its technology, comprising a downhole anchoring and drive system that will form the basis of an autonomous reeled drilling system, and Petrobras’ expertise, will allow deep and complex offshore wells to be drilled from a light well intervention vessel rather than a semi-sub or drill ship. As the latter options are said to be more expensive, the Slovak player claims this can cut well construction costs by 30%.

“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. “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.”

The drilling tech firm says its system improves drilling efficiency and minimizes pipe handling hazards, tripping times, and well control risk. In addition to sophisticated drilling automation and control systems, real-time wireline communication can be made with the surface, thus optimizing and driving the drilling process downhole at the rock face.

“Investing in drilling technologies is crucial for a smooth and efficient energy transition. By making ultra-deep drilling more environmentally friendly and cost-effective with our cutting-edge technology, we are not just improving current operations but also laying the groundwork for the future of clean energy,” added Kocis.

It has been a busy summer for Petrobras. Last week, the energy major hired Borr Drilling’s Arabia I jack-up after its assignment in Saudi Arabia was suspended. The 2020-built rig is expected to start work in Q1 2025.

Furthermore, a naming ceremony was held for a huge floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel which will be deployed at Petrobras’ Búzios field, while Seatrium handed out a classification contract to the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for two newbuild FPSOs it is building for the Brazillian giant. The FPSO pair is set to work at the Atapu and Sépia fields.