A new world record for the longest oil and gas well has been set by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which has the potential of increasing the field’s production capacity by 15,000 barrels of oil per day.
ADNOC Drilling drilled the oil and gas well at Upper Zakum Concession. From Umm Al Anbar, one of ADNOC Offshore’s artificial islands, it stretches 50,000 feet and is around 800 feet longer than the previous world record set in 2017.
The previous record was held by Russia’s Rosneft, which drilled a 15,000-meter long oil and gas well at an offshore project in the Sea of Okhotsk in 2017 as part of the Sakhalin-1 consortium. When completed, the 15,000-meter horizontal well from the Orlan platform at Chayvo field was almost 2,000 feet longer than any existing well.
Sakhalin-1 was in news recently after US oil giant Exxon Mobil was forced to discontinue operations when the Russian government unilaterally terminated the company’s interests in the project and transferred it to a Russian operator.
ADNOC’s record-breaking feat of engineering is part of an extended reach well project designed and led by ADNOC Offshore, in collaboration with its strategic international partners at Upper Zakum, ExxonMobil and INPEX/JODCO.
The extended reach wells will tap into an undeveloped part of the giant Upper Zakum reservoir and not just increase the field’s production capacity, but also do that without the need to expand or build any new infrastructure.
Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Seiari, ADNOC Drilling CEO, said: “This incredible achievement is in line with ADNOC Drilling’s quest to deliver increased efficiency for our customers as we continue to create greater value for our shareholders.
“The delivery of this record-breaking well also demonstrates our commitment to lower operational costs, while enabling ADNOC to reach its oil and gas production capacity targets. As a responsible operator, we are successfully maximising the use of advanced extended reach, horizontal and directional drilling methods.”
Umm Al Anbar is one of Upper Zakum’s four artificial islands, serving as a hub for offshore drilling and operations. ADNOC Offshore perfected the artificial island concept, resulting in significant cost savings and environmental benefits compared to conventional approaches that traditionally require more offshore installations and infrastructure.
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