As the industry’s shift from automation-assisted drilling to repeatable, scalable well construction automation continues, the U.S.-headquartered oilfield services player Halliburton has tucked a new milestone under its belt by pooling resources with ExxonMobil, Sekal, Noble, and the Wells Alliance Guyana team to advance digital well construction off the coast of Guyana.
The companies have delivered what Halliburton describes as “a groundbreaking step forward” in digital well construction to achieve “the industry’s first fully automated geological well placement with complete rig automation” offshore Guyana.
The U.S. player explains that this project combined rig automation, automated subsurface interpretation and well placement, and real-time hydraulics to establish a new benchmark for well construction performance, reservoir contact, and execution efficiency.
The achievement is perceived to advance the FutureWell initiative in the Wells Alliance Guyana’s effort by unifying subsurface insight, automation, and rig systems to improve execution.
Halliburton claims to have used LOGIX orchestration and automated geosteering with the EarthStar ultra-deep resistivity service and Sekal’s DrillTronics to create an integrated closed-loop system, steering the well within reservoir boundaries and autonomously optimize drilling and tripping operations.
The company highlights that real-time optimization algorithms and geological inversion data inform automated rig control, hydraulics, and well placement within a single workflow to eliminate the traditional separation between subsurface interpretation and drilling execution.
Jim Collins , Vice President of Halliburton Sperry Drilling, commented: “Our teams create new performance levels when subsurface insight, automation, and drilling systems operate through one closed-loop automation system.
“This breakthrough digital orchestration transforms execution efficiency and advances automated well construction from concept to field-proven results and sets the foundation for consistent well placement in the best rock every time.”
The U.S. firm emphasizes that its LOGIX orchestration and Sekal’s DrillTronics solutions exceeded performance targets, with the reservoir section finished about 15% ahead of plan, and tripping operations reducing time by about 33%.
The system is perceived to have demonstrated measurable efficiency gains of closed-loop automation beyond drilling, maintaining precise well placement in challenging conditions, placed about 470 meters of the lateral section in the reservoir with active automated geosteering and inclination corrections during the run.
Moreover, Halliburton product service lines and the Wells Alliance Guyana team executed the project through a highly integrated collaboration, with ongoing feedback loops between drilling, geology, and automation teams ensuring reliable closed-loop performance throughout the effort.
Rod Henson , Vice President of Wells at ExxonMobil, underlined: “This achievement demonstrates how collaboration and advanced automation can transform well construction efficiency and reliability. It represents a significant step forward for Guyana’s energy development and the industry’s digital future.”
This achievement comes months after Halliburton won a deal offshore Nigeria with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), a subsidiary of Shell, in collaboration with its joint venture partner, Sunlink Energies.