offshore optimization
Petrobras teams up with Houston co. to improve efficiency in drilling
Slovakian geothermal drilling technology company GA Drilling, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston, has teamed up with Brazilian energy giant Petrobras to reduce well construction costs and well-drilling risks.
Under the new partnership, GA Drilling will work with Petrobras’ R&D center to roll out an autonomous drilling system that enables drilling at offshore wells from a light vessel instead of a costlier semi-submarine or drill ship.
“Taken together, the benefits of our drilling technologies equal better efficiency, leading to lower costs, [a] smaller operational footprint, and ultimately lower risk overall,” Igor Kočiš, co-founder and CEO of GA Drilling, says in a news release.
GA Drilling says its drilling system improves drilling efficiency and enables replacement of conventional drill pipes with lower-risk tubes. Features of the system include drilling automation and control systems, and real-time communications.
In April 2024, GA Drilling announced it had closed on $15 million in funding. Investors included Houston-based oil and gas drilling contractor Nabors Industries, the newly established Underground Ventures geothermal investment fund, and Slovakian venture capital firm Neulogy Ventures.
A year earlier, GA Drilling conducted the first public demonstration of its Anchorbit drilling tool at a Houston test well owned by Nabors. The tool is designed to simplify and improve drilling into high-temperature hard rock formations.