ExxonMobil and Halliburton Achieve World’s First Fully Closed-Loop Automated Geological Well Placement in Guyana

Key Terms

closed-loop automation technical

A closed-loop automation system continuously senses conditions, makes decisions, and automatically adjusts actions without human intervention, using feedback from its own outputs much like a smart thermostat that measures room temperature and turns heating on or off. For investors, closed-loop systems can improve product performance, reduce operating costs and human error, and carry higher regulatory and safety scrutiny, making them a potential driver of competitive advantage or additional compliance risk.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), in collaboration with ExxonMobil, Sekal, Noble, and the Wells Alliance Guyana team, delivered a groundbreaking step forward in digital well construction to achieve the industry’s first fully automated geological well placement with complete rig automation in offshore Guyana. The 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. This achievement advances the FutureWell initiative in the Wells Alliance Guyana effort by unifying subsurface insight, automation, and rig systems to improve execution.

Halliburton used LOGIX™ orchestration and automated geosteering with the EarthStar® ultra-deep resistivity service and Sekal’s DrillTronics® to create an integrated closed-loop system. The system steers the well within reservoir boundaries and autonomously optimizes drilling and tripping operations. 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.

“Our teams create new performance levels when subsurface insight, automation, and drilling systems operate through one closed-loop automation system,” said Jim Collins, vice president, Halliburton Sperry Drilling. “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.” Halliburton product service lines and the Wells Alliance Guyana team executed the project through a highly integrated collaboration. Ongoing feedback loops between drilling, geology, and automation teams ensured reliable closed-loop performance throughout the effort.

“This achievement demonstrates how collaboration and advanced automation can transform well construction efficiency and reliability,” said Rod Henson, vice president, Wells, ExxonMobil. “It represents a significant step forward for Guyana’s energy development and the industry’s digital future.”

Halliburton’s LOGIX™ orchestration and Sekal’s DrillTronics solutions exceeded performance targets. The reservoir section finished about 15% ahead of plan, and tripping operations reduced time by about 33%. The system demonstrated measurable efficiency gains of closed-loop automation beyond drilling. It also maintained precise well placement in challenging conditions and placed about 470 meters of the lateral section in the reservoir with active automated geosteering and inclination corrections during the run.

Halliburton expands its closed-loop automation capabilities in multiple geographies and leads the industry’s shift from automation-assisted drilling to repeatable, scalable well construction automation.

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Source: Halliburton