North Sea Tests the Future of Electric Drilling

SLB, Equinor, and Halliburton test electric and automated well systems in the North Sea, pointing toward safer, lower-emission drilling

5 Mar 2025

The North Sea is becoming a proving ground for next-generation offshore drilling systems. Operators are testing electric and digital technologies as alternatives to traditional hydraulics, with a close eye on cost, safety, and emissions. This is not yet a wholesale replacement of hydraulics, but it signals a meaningful shift in direction.

In March 2025, SLB launched its EWC™ electric well control technologies aimed at replacing hydraulic components in blowout preventer (BOP) systems. As part of the rollout, SLB secured a front-end engineering and design award to tailor an electric BOP control system for a North Sea rig. Work on the design is underway, with the final review having been expected in the first half of 2025. The effort remains in the design and validation phase rather than a broad retrofit of existing hydraulic stacks.

On the drilling side, Halliburton and Sekal announced the world’s first automated on-bottom drilling system delivered for Equinor on the Norwegian Continental Shelf on 26 February 2025. The system integrates Halliburton’s LOGIX™ automation and remote operations with DrillTronics®, enabling closed-loop control of drilling parameters and real-time optimization. The pilot indicates improved consistency and speed on a single well, but it is not yet a full industry rollout.

Taken together, these initiatives show the sector testing credible pathways toward more electric and automated offshore drilling. Hydraulic technology will continue to play a role during the transition, particularly in legacy infrastructure and complex deepwater settings.

Regulatory assurance will be pivotal. Electric BOPs must match the safety and reliability of hydraulics under extreme conditions. Digital systems also raise questions about cybersecurity, redundancy, and the balance between automated control and human oversight. Scaling across different rig types, geologies, and regulatory regimes will take time.

Even so, the trajectory is clearer. In a high-cost, carbon-constrained region like Europe, pilot adoption is advancing faster than elsewhere. If these trials persist and expand, they could set new benchmarks for offshore drilling in the years ahead delivering safer, faster, and cleaner operations, albeit through a gradual evolution rather than an overnight revolution.