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Petrobras teams up with Houston co. to improve efficiency in drilling

offshore optimization

GA Drilling will work with Petrobras’ R&D center to roll out an autonomous drilling system. Photo via Getty Images

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.

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Chevron enters lithium market with Texas land acquisition

to market

Chevron U.S.A., a subsidiary of Houston-based energy company Chevron, has taken its first big step toward establishing a commercial-scale lithium business.

Chevron acquired leaseholds totaling about 125,000 acres in Northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas from TerraVolta Resources and East Texas Natural Resources. The acreage contains a high amount of lithium, which Chevron plans to extract from brines produced from the subsurface.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in an array of technologies, such as smartwatches, e-bikes, pacemakers, and batteries for electric vehicles, according to Chevron. The International Energy Agency estimates lithium demand could grow more than 400 percent by 2040.

“This acquisition represents a strategic investment to support energy manufacturing and expand U.S.-based critical mineral supplies,” Jeff Gustavson, president of Chevron New Energies, said in a news release. “Establishing domestic and resilient lithium supply chains is essential not only to maintaining U.S. energy leadership but also to meeting the growing demand from customers.”

Rania Yacoub, corporate business development manager at Chevron New Energies, said that amid heightening demand, lithium is “one of the world’s most sought-after natural resources.”

“Chevron is looking to help meet that demand and drive U.S. energy competitiveness by sourcing lithium domestically,” Yacoub said.

Engie to add 'precycling' agreements for forthcoming solar projects

reduce, reuse

Houston-based Engie North America has partnered with Arizona-based Solarcycle to recycle 1 million solar panels on forthcoming projects with a goal of achieving project circularity.

The collaboration allows Engie to incorporate "precycling" provisions into power purchase agreements made on 375 megawatts worth of projects in the Midwest, which are expected to be completed in the next few years, according to a news release from Engie.

Engie will use Solarcycle's advanced tracking capabilities to ensure that every panel on the selected projects is recycled once it reaches its end of life, and that the recovered materials are returned to the supply chain.

Additionally, all construction waste and system components for the selected projects will be recycled "to the maximum degree possible," according to Engie.

“We are delighted to bring this innovative approach to life. Our collaboration with Solarcycle demonstrates the shared commitment we have to the long-term sustainability of our industry,” Caroline Mead, SVP power marketing at ENGIE North America, said in the release.

Solarcyle, which repairs, refurbishes, reuses and recycles solar power systems, estimates that the collaboration and new provisions will help divert 48 million pounds of material from landfills and avoid 33,000 tons of carbon emissions.

“ENGIE’s precycling provision sets a new precedent for the utility-scale solar industry by proving that circular economy principles can be achieved without complex regulatory intervention and in a way that doesn’t require an up-front payment," Jesse Simons, co-founder and chief commercial officer at SOLARCYCLE, added in the release. "We’re happy to work creatively with leaders like ENGIE to support their commitment to circularity, domestic energy, and sustainability.”

Texas gets one step closer to CCUS permitting authority

The View From HETI

This month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed approval of Texas request for permitting authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for Class VI underground injection wells for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in the state. The State of Texas already has permitting authority for Class I-V injection wells. Granting authority for Class VI wells recognizes that Texas is well positioned to protect its underground sources of drinking water while also advancing economic opportunity and energy security.

“In the Safe Drinking Water Act, Congress laid out a clear vision for delegating decision-making from EPA to states that have local expertise and understand their water resources, geology, communities, and opportunities for economic growth,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a news release. “EPA is taking a key step to support cooperative federalism by proposing to approve Texas to permit Class VI wells in the state.”

The Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) has supported efforts to bring CCUS to a broader commercial scale since the initiative’s inception. Earlier this year, HETI commissioned a “study of studies” by Texas A&M University’s Energy Institute and Mary K. O’Connor Process Safety Center on the operational history and academic literature of CCUS safety in the United States. The report revealed that with state and federal regulations as well as technical and engineering technologies available today, CCUS is safe and presents a very low risk of impacts to human life. This is useful research for stakeholders interested in learning more about CCUS.

“The U.S. EPA’s proposal to approve Texas’ application for Class VI well permitting authority is yet another example of Texas’ continued leadership in meeting the dual challenge of producing more energy with less emissions,” said Jane Stricker, Senior Vice President of Energy at the Greater Houston Partnership and Executive Director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative. “We applaud the U.S. EPA and Texas Railroad Commission for their collaborative efforts to ensure the supply of safe, affordable and reliable energy, and we call on all stakeholders to voice their support for the application during the public comment period.”

The U.S. EPA has announced a public comment period that will include a virtual public hearing on July 24, 2025 from 5-8 pm and conclude on July 31, 2025.

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This article originally ran on the Greater Houston Partnership's Houston Energy Transition Initiative blog. HETI exists to support Houston's future as an energy leader. For more information about the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, EnergyCapitalHTX's presenting sponsor, visit htxenergytransition.org.

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