A Well Will Be Drilled on the Colombian Shelf at a Record Depth of 4 km
Oil companies plan to drill an offshore well in Colombia at a record depth within a few months.
Occidental Petroleum and Ecopetrol want to build the Komodo–1 well by the end of the year at a depth of about 3,900 meters. It will break the current record for drilling depth on the Angolan shelf.
Oil explorers around the world are returning to deepwater areas as production growth in North American shale fields slows, forcing companies to expand drilling elsewhere. SLB, the world‘s largest provider of oilfield services, sees the potential for more than $100 billion in offshore project commitments in 2024-2025.
Colombia is exploring its huge offshore potential as some onshore reserves begin to dry up.
According to industry data provider Enverus, more than 40 wells are expected to be drilled worldwide this year at a sea depth of at least 1,500 meters, making 2024 the busiest year for ultra-deepwater drilling in the last decade.
According to SLB, by the end of this decade, deepwater wells will provide up to a quarter of global oil production, compared with about 20% today.
