Geothermal specialist GA Drilling earlier this month announced a technical collaboration agreement with Petrobras and its research and development arm, Cenpes. The partnership focuses on the development of a new drilling system based on GA Drilling’s technology, which is designed to reduce the cost of deep geothermal drilling and assess its potential to reduce the costs of complex offshore well construction.

GA Drilling has developed a downhole anchor and drive system that the company says will be the “cornerstone” of an autonomous reel drilling technology it plans to develop with Petrobras.

Their proposed innovation is intended to be deployed from a light well intervention vessel, which offers a lower-cost alternative to heavier and more expensive drillships or semi-submersibles. GA Drilling and Petrobras expect such a drilling system to reduce the total cost of well construction by as much as 30%.

“Taken together, the benefits of our drilling technologies deliver improved efficiency, leading to lower costs, a smaller operational footprint and ultimately lower overall risk,” Igor Kočiš, co-founder and CEO of GA Drilling, said in a statement.

The joint announcement also said that GA Drilling will continue to develop its technology for geothermal applications using Petrobras’ state-of-the-art testing facilities. This includes the Cenpes innovation center in Rio de Janeiro, which houses more than 100 laboratories and pilot facilities.

GA Drilling emphasizes that its technology eliminates the reliance on conventional drill pipe by utilizing a reeled pipe system. In addition to reducing pipe handling risks, the Houston-based Slovakian company also boasts that its technologies will provide improved tripping times and well control.

GA Drilling added that some of its latest developments include drilling automation and control technologies, along with real-time downhole communications via wireline connections.

Earlier this year, GA Drilling and Swiss energy startup ZeroGeo Energy announced plans to build a 12-MW geothermal power plant in Germany. The proposed project would debut GA Drilling’s “anchorbit” technology, which is designed to provide enhanced drilling stability.