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ExxonMobil has claimed a new world record for extended-reach drilling with its Z-12 well drilled on Sakhalin 1 in the Russian Far East.
The well was drilled from land using the world’s most powerful land-based rig to a target area in the oil reservoir located under the Pacific Ocean about seven miles from shore.
“This drilling success has contributed to other Sakhalin 1 project achievements, including the commencement of production five years after the project was declared commercial and 100 marine tanker shipments in the first year of export operations,” said Morris Foster, president, ExxonMobil Production Company, in a statement.
“Employing extended-reach technology to drill onshore beneath the seafloor to offshore oil and gas deposits eliminates the need for additional offshore structures, pipelines and associated activities.”
The project team at Sakhalin 1 employed Exxon technologies to drill the record Z-12 well in half the time needed by conventional technology. This included the optimisation process called Fast Drill, which analyses the amount of energy used to make the drilling process faster and more efficient.
The US super-major has also used Fast Drill successfully in the UK North Sea.
The Z-12 well is located in the Chayvo field, which now has 17 of the world’s 30 longest extended-reach wells and set a record by achieving a measured depth of 11,680m (38,322ft). This exceeds by 398m (1,306ft), the prior world record set in 2007 by the Z-11 well at the Sakhalin 1 project. Exxon the operator of Sakhalin 1 with 30%. Partners are Sakhalin Oil & Gas Development Company (30%), Rosneft affiliates RN-Astra (8.5%), Sakhalinmorneftegas-Shelf (11.5%) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation unit ONGC Videsh (20%).