CUPET and China’s Greatwall Drilling Complete the Construction of the Longest Oil Well in Cuba

CUPET (Unión Cuba Petróleo) and the Chinese company Greatwall Drilling have completed construction of the longest horizontal oil well built in Cuba. It measures 8,047 meters.

It took approximately a year and a half for the construction team to complete the “Varadero 1012.”

Great Walldrilling, a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation, has been in Cuba since 2005.

Since then, Greatwall Drilling is responsible for drilling most of Cuba’s oil wells, introducing high-tech equipment that can reach shallow water reservoirs from the land.

The project, designed by Cuban engineers, contributes to Cuba’s energy self-sufficiency.

Juan Carlos de la Concepción, head of drilling operations, said the oil well 1012 is in the Varadero Oeste field, between the two most productive wells in the North Heavy Crude Strip.

Adrián Bacallao, a specialist in oil well design, said that drilling of this magnitude is not common and less so in this geographic area.

The construction reaches over 7,000 meters of displacement in the seabed, where the reserves are located.

Previously, the longest well in Cuba was the Varadero 1011, completed in 2021, measuring 7,710 meters.

Despite the difficulties of the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba, the island’s oil industry is turning technological innovation and science into priority strategies to continue its development and advance toward energy sovereignty.