OMV Petrom premiers new automatic drilling technology in Romania
- A state-of-the-art automated drilling rig has begun operations in Romania
- The new technology improves efficiency of operations
OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in Southeastern Europe, is running a new drilling campaign using a state-of-the-art automated drilling rig owned by Foraj Sonde Videle. The campaign is initially focusing on several fields in Oltenia, Muntenia and Moldova, with plans to continue across the OMV Petrom portfolio thereafter. The objective of the campaign is to deliver new resources from mature fields, while improving safety and efficiency of drilling operations. To date, two new gas wells have been completed on time and on budget with increased efficiency compared to traditional methods.
Cristian Hubati, member of the OMV Petrom Executive Board, responsible for the Exploration and Production activities: "The new technologies support us to increase production on mature fields and contribute to the minimization of the environmental impact. We are very proud alongside our colleagues from OMV and our partner Foraj Sonde Videle to use one of the most energy efficient onshore drilling rig in the world.”
The automated drilling rig is a product of OMV's DigitUP digitalization program and underscores the synergy between OMV and OMV Petrom. This integrates innovative thinking with operational excellence.
The rig is manufactured in the Netherlands, by Huisman, a highly innovative company that designs, manufactures and services equipment for the renewable energy, oil and gas and other industries. Automation of extractive activity reduces human errors, while improving efficiency and safety of drilling operations, as operators can monitor and control drilling operations remotely. The electric central power system of the drilling rig improves fuel efficiency and reduces carbon footprint.
The drilling rig is designed to meet today's demand for faster and more flexible operations - it is a highly mobile rig, able to move quickly between multiple wells on a pad, and between different locations. While operating, the system collects a large amount of data about the drilling process, which is analyzed to improve extraction efficiency and prevent geological, technical or operational difficulties.
The applicability of this new technology goes beyond traditional oil and gas operations as it can be used also in geothermal and carbon capture and storage projects.
You can see a video of the automatic drill here.
About OMV Petrom
OMV Petrom is the largest integrated energy producer in Southeastern Europe, with an annual Group hydrocarbon production of approximately 41 million boe in 2023. The Group has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons annually and operates an 860 MW high-efficiency gas-fired power plant. The Group is present on the oil products retail market in Romania and neighbouring countries through approximately 780 filling stations under two brands – OMV and Petrom.
OMV Petrom is a company in which, as of end-2023, Romanian shareholders hold over 43% of the shares (of which the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Energy, holds 20.7%, and 22.5% are owned by pension funds in Romania, to which are added almost 500,000 individual investors and other Romanian entities). OMV Aktiengesellschaft, one of the largest listed industrial companies in Austria, holds a 51.2% stake in OMV Petrom, and the remaining 5.6% are held by other foreign investors. Of the total shares of OMV Petrom, 28.1% represents the free float on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
OMV Petrom is one of the largest contributors to the state budget, with approximately 42 billion euro in taxes and dividends paid between 2005 and 2023. During the same period, the company invested approximately 18 billion euro.
Since 2007, OMV Petrom has included corporate responsibility principles into its business strategy. Between 2007 and 2023, the company has allocated around 160 million euro to develop communities in Romania, focusing on environmental protection, education, health, and local development.
On July 29th, 2020, OMV Petrom announced its support for the recommendations issued by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) regarding risks and opportunities on climate change. OMV Petrom annually reports on the progress made in implementing these recommendations.