Accelerating Well Reactivation Through Digital Transformation: Advancing Operational Visibility and Decision-Making with Smart Inactive Well Management Systems in Upstream Operations

This paper outlines the development and implementation of a comprehensive, standardized, and data driven well management system designed to optimize the end to end well reactivation process. The scope encompasses the integration of advanced digital technologies, including data analytics, automated workflows, and smart systems, to enhance decision making, improve operational efficiency, and reduce reactivation cycle time across multiple operational Assets through the establishment of a unified framework that enables consistent and objective review and evaluation of candidate wells. The process began with the implementation of a unified well problems categorization methodology, governed by automated validation workflows, multi-source data and systems integration including historical performance data, subsurface attributes, production trends and Well integrity parameters to systematically evaluate candidate wells for reactivation. Each step was designed for minimal manual intervention, supported by built-in logic, exception handling aligned with governance standards. Throughout the process, advanced analytics and visualization tools were integrated to deliver actionable insights to multidisciplinary teams. Dashboards provided visibility into KPIs, reactivation potential, and bottlenecks, enabling proactive and collaborative decision making from cross disciplinary teams. This methodology established a closed loop system that facilitated a 20% acceleration in well reactivation cycles since its adoption in 2020, while delivering an average gain of 25 MBD from the reactivation of inactive strings during 2024. Additionally, a 30% reduction in the number of inactive strings was achieved last year, resulting in historically low inventory levels, with less than 2% of wells remaining inactive. This reduction was a result of rigorous integrity management practices and continuous monitoring of the well conditions. This framework has been designed to adapt to various operational scenarios and can be easily implemented across different Assets/ fields, ensuring consistency and reliability in well reactivation efforts. In conclusion, this initiative validated that data-driven standardization and automation are key enablers of efficient, scalable, and auditable management of inactive well portfolios across upstream operations. The success of this initiative underscores the importance of leveraging data and technology to drive operational excellence and achieve sustainable results in the oil and gas industry. This paper introduces a novel, integrative framework on well reactivation focused on a holistic, end to end solution that unifies key components of the well reactivation process into a standardized, smart, and scalable well management system. The key contribution lies in the standardization of reactivation processes across diverse operational Assets, enabled by the creation of a unified screening methodology and automated decision support tools. Unlike isolated digital solutions, this approach demonstrates how automated data integration and workflow orchestration can be institutionalized across organizations, reducing subjectivity, improving consistency, and enhancing operational agility. The outstanding results further validate the system’s impact, offering a replicable model that can be adapted to other organizations seeking to modernize and streamline their well reactivation programs.