Baker Hughes to Conduct Drilling Operations at Dubai’s Margham Gas Storage Project

Baker Hughes, under a multi-year contract with the Dubai Petroleum Establishment (DPE) and Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP), will execute integrated coiled-tubing drilling work at the Margham Gas Storage Project. The company will leverage its CoilTrak coiled-tubing bottomhole assembly system and under-balanced drilling expertise.

“Baker Hughes has built a reputation in coiled-tubing drilling and mature assets solutions, and we bring a track record of success across the region to this project,” said Amerino Gatti, Executive Vice President of Oilfield Services & Equipment at Baker Hughes. “Our integrated solutions approach combines technology and expertise across the energy value chain to help DPE scale-up and develop reliable, secure, and lower-carbon power solutions for their country.”

CoilTrak enables effective and transparent subsurface navigation during horizontal drilling operations, maximizing reservoir contact to improve underground gas storage. Baker Hughes’ work will help stabilize Dubai’s energy supply and allow resource switching between natural gas and solar power.

Integrated coiled-tubing drilling; image credit: Baker Hughes

Baker Hughes already supports the Margham Gas Storage Project, supplying DPE with integrated compressor line units (ICL) for gas storage, injection, and export operations. The company’s equipment is helping DUSUP establish a reliable power system with reduced CO₂ emissions.

The 10 ICL units—five for gas storage and five for dual-use injection boosting or gas export to the current gas distribution network—will be installed at the Margham gas storage facility to increase its capacity. These units will enhance energy supply reliability and support local decarbonization efforts. DPE has already been operating three ICL units since 2020 with zero seal leakages and minimal downtime required for maintenance.

ICL Units for Kaminho

In October 2024, Baker Hughes was awarded a contract to supply centrifugal and electrical-driven ICL compressors to TotalEnergies’ Kaminho floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) project in Angola. Kaminho is an all-electric, deepwater project in the Kwanza basin. It comprises the conversion of a very large crude carrier to a FPSO unit. Production start-up is set for 2028 and is expected to reach production of 70,000 barrels of oil a day.

More Baker Hughes News

Last week, under a multi-year contract, Baker Hughes agreed to install integrated completions systems across Petrobras’ numerous Brazilian deepwater fields to optimize production. In addition to intelligent completions technologies, the company will deliver traditional upper and lower completions systems, remote operations capabilities, and multizone control to reduce water and gas breakthroughs and expensive interventions.

Petrobras will use the SureCONTROL Premium interval control valve to enhance operational reliability in its high-flowrate offshore fields, which allows operators to remotely address changing well conditions in real time across multiple zones. These technologies are specifically engineered to fulfill the requirements of Petrobras’ offshore developments. Delivery is scheduled to begin in late 2025.

Recently, Baker Hughes and Petrobras also established a collaborative technology program to develop and test next-generation flexible pipe systems to address stress corrosion cracking due to CO₂. The pre-commercial agreement will be executed at Baker Hughes’ Energy Technology Innovation Center and local flexible pipe systems manufacturing plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The partnership also includes a purchase option for the new next-generation flexible pipes, which will have a 30-year extended service life when operating in high-CO₂ environments.