The Voice of Slovak Business

GA Drilling - Slovakia Plasma Drill Pioneers

We were delighted to meet GA Drilling, a. s., who are hi-tech company developing a ground-breaking technology platform PLASMABIT® for milling and deep-drilling.

PLASMABIT® technology enables massive time and cost savings compared to related existing technologies. We open up vast new possibilities in geothermal energy, oil & gas and other industrial segments.

GA Drilling are world pioneers in plasma milling. The team of 120+ professionals has successfully accomplished the first ever plasma milling underwater and the first ever plasma milling in a High Pressure/High Temperature environment. First applications are under preparation for release shortly.

It was eleven years ago when founders Igor, Dušan, Ivan and Tomáš had the breakthrough idea for “geothermal energy everywhere”. They did not think then that in few years they will be preparing for the first real tests of this unique technology in the North Sea. Back then they only wanted an independent source of energy for a technology incubator they built in Bratislava.

They understood that the upper 10 kilometres of the Earth crust contains unimaginable quantities of thermal energy. Only a fraction of percent of its utilization could mean assuring the energy needs of mankind for centuries to come. Each kilometre deeper means an increase of temperature by 25C to 35C. Hence in 6-20 km depth water can be converted to high grade steam to drive electrical generation turbine.

But how could they manage to get to this deep geothermal energy?

An Entrepreneurial spirit and sense of curiosity led them to explore all existing drilling methods. This showed there is no technology to drill deeply at low cost. Traditional drilling is cost efficient to 5 km. Each kilometre deeper is exponentially increasing cost beyond a sustainable RoI.

This is why geothermal energy is only utilised where it is available at shallow depths. For example, Iceland, parts of the USA, New Zealand, Philippines or small parts of Italy. Here they use geothermal energy for heating, electricity production, heating roads, stadiums, pools or greenhouses.

The majority of other regions are entirely dependent on fossil fuels often transported at great environmental and financial cost.

So an ambitious goal with a global impact was created. Namely to end the cost barrier for deep drilling and to make deep geothermal energy accessible to all. After testing of various innovative methods, they replaced traditional drilling bits with the high-energy arc of electric plasma. This disrupts the rock by high temperature similar to the surface of sun.

And so the story of the GA Drilling technology revolution began

Today the development of PLASMABIT® technology is known by many. After the years of research and development by at the company’s own technology centre, a prototype has been tested and ready for its first industrial application. This will be the environmental plug & abandonment of thousands of depleted oil and gas wells. The first application of PLASMABIT® is going to be a driver and platform for the development of further applications. The next is expected to be geothermal deep-drilling.

Source: GA Drilling, a. s., Slovakia.