Nabors Industries Ltd. has announced the completion of its first well using its world's first fully automated land drilling rig. The global oil and gas drilling contractor said Oct. 7 that its PACE-R801 rig reached total depth on a horizontal well for Exxon Mobil in the Permian Basin.

XTO Energy, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil, contracted PACE-R801 to drill three horizontal wells on a test pad in Midland County, Texas, as part of its own R&D efforts and commitment to safe, efficient and responsible operations.

This first well was drilled to a total measured depth of 19,917 ft. Consistent with the practices of drillers and operators on test pads, Nabors and Exxon Mobil do not plan to publish performance data and results.

Using Smart Suite of automated drilling software with Canrig robotics, PACE-R801 creates an unmanned rig floor that removes crews from red zone areas and delivers consistent, predictable drilling performance, the company said.

Crew size on the PACE-R801 is similar to other Nabors rigs, but the duties change. One driller is required to supervise the operations of the rig while others continue to perform essential tasks, such as service, maintenance, inspections and rig moves. Importantly, it said, crews are no longer in red-zone areas

Similar to concept vehicles in the automobile industry, the configuration of PACE-R801 is built to showcase Nabors technology and push the boundaries of industry performance. The featured automation, robotics and digitalization technologies are available and operational across the Nabors fleet, and those of third parties globally.

According to Nabors, insights gained from the automated drilling rig will continue to be used to advance the next generation of technologies that focus on safety, efficiency and the environment. For instance, recently deployed technology for Nabors SmartDRILL and SmartSLIDE drilling automation software was developed through the PACE-R801 initiative.

Additionally, utilization of the full suite of Nabors drilling automation software reduced drilling days for operators by four in the Permian and Williston Basins and has shown promise to reduce drilling emissions.

Anthony Petrello, chairman, president and CEO of Nabors, said: "There's nothing else in the world like the PACE-R801 concept rig. It's a combination of advanced automation, digitalization and robotics that represents a trifecta solution for an industry pursuing the highest levels of safety, efficiency and environmental performance in order to attain ESG goals. "

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