Drill, complete, ready for production—Reliable gas storage in Northern Italy

Delivering efficiency across complex terrain

In northern Italy, SLB partnered with an Italian operator to execute a complex underground gas storage project under a tight schedule and with strict performance guarantees.
 
Using an integrated approach for drilling, completions, and facility connection, SLB delivered 14 wells—two vertical data-acquisition wells and 12 horizontal producers—fully meeting sand-control and gas-tightness standards.
 
Completed safely, on time, and within budget, the project established new performance benchmarks for integrated delivery in sensitive, high-regulation environments.

Meeting stringent standards in a tight urban corridor

In the densely populated region north of Milan, the operator initiated a critical underground gas storage project designed to enhance national energy resilience. Located less than 20 minutes from the metropolitan area—the project introduced unique operational and environmental challenges, with heightened regulatory oversight and community sensitivity.

The scope involved drilling, completing, and connecting 14 wells across two multi-well pads, including two vertical wells with extensive logging and coring programs, and 12 horizontal wells for gas injection and withdrawal.

Adding to the complexity, the contract stipulated two absolute performance guarantees for every well:

• Sand-control integrity across all completions.
• Full gas-tightness to ensure safe and reliable operation.

With a demanding delivery timeline and stringent safety expectations, the operator required a partner capable of executing with precision, technical assurance, and accountability from end to end.

Integrated well delivery, backed by deep domain expertise

SLB was selected to lead the integrated well delivery (IWD) program for the entire campaign—providing project management, drilling, completions, and connection to surface facilities.

To ensure performance consistency and minimize operational risk, SLB implemented a single, integrated delivery framework, covering all well phases—from design and engineering to construction and facility tie-in.

Key aspects of the solution included:

• Comprehensive well planning
  SLB engineers collaborated with the operator to design well trajectories, casing programs, and completion systems optimized for gas storage performance and regulatory compliance.
• Extensive data acquisition
  The two vertical wells were logged and cored in detail to update the reservoir model—augmenting the understanding of storage capacity and injection dynamics.
• Integrated execution
  SLB managed a coordinated drilling, completion, and facilities interface, ensuring seamless transition between operations and minimizing downtime. .
• Ready-to-produce wells
  SLB provided wells fully integrated with surface facilities and ready for injection and production, ensuring operational continuity and accelerating time to storage.

Throughout the project, domain experts and multidisciplinary teams worked collaboratively, ensuring the entire campaign met technical, schedule, and contractual obligations—without compromise.

On time, on budget, and incident free

The campaign delivered exceptional results on all fronts.

SLB completed 14 wells on schedule and within budget, meeting every performance requirement and customer expectation. Each well was verified for sand-control integrity and gas-tightness, fulfilling the project guarantees.

The data acquired from the vertical wells significantly improved the reservoir model, enabling more accurate simulation of storage capacity and injection/withdrawal performance for future campaigns.

Most importantly, operations were completed without incident, reinforcing SLB’s safety leadership in high-sensitivity environments.

The project’s success has positioned SLB as a trusted partner for future gas storage developments in Italy, setting a new benchmark for integrated well delivery—combining technical rigor, operational efficiency.