Analysis of the application pathways for expansion and application of drilling engineering technology in emerging industries under the background of energy transition

The global energy landscape is undergoing an accelerated transition toward clean and low-carbon sources, challenging the traditional oil and gas drilling services market with declining demand. Concurrently, the rise of emerging industries such as geothermal energy, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), underground storage, and underground coal gasification presents new growth opportunities for drilling services. These emerging sectors are characterized by complex geological conditions and variable operational environments, which expose limitations in existing oil and gas drilling technologies, including inadequate technical adaptability, higher engineering costs, and incomplete standard systems. This study reviews the development trends of aforementioned four industries, analyzes the potential demands and technical bottlenecks for drilling engineering in these emerging sectors, and draws lessons from successful cross-industry business expansion by domestic and international oil and gas companies. Based on this analysis, a development pathway is proposed for drilling engineering technologies in emerging sectors, comprising technology transfer and adaptive upgrading, development of customized and specialized technologies, construction and iterative refinement of standard systems through engineering demonstrations, and establishment of an “Integrated Drilling+” service model. This framework aims to provide theoretical guidance and practical reference for the business expansion and capability enhancement of drilling engineering enterprises in China.