By: Utilities Middle east

In upstream oil and gas, water is more than a by-product — it is one of the biggest drivers of cost, emissions, and well underperformance. Yet it is often addressed only after it reaches the surface. According to Keith Hillis, Global VP of Marketing and Business Development at TAQA, that approach is backwards.

“The most effective place to manage water is downhole, at the point where fluids enter the wellbore,” Hillis says.

Keith Hillis, Global VP of Marketing and Business Development at TAQA
As operators face tighter capital discipline and rising pressure to reduce emissions intensity, water management is emerging as a critical lever for both reservoir performance and decarbonisation.

Tackling water before it becomes a problem

Excess water production increases lifting costs, energy use, chemical consumption, and surface handling requirements, while accelerating emissions. In heterogeneous reservoirs, early water breakthrough can shorten plateau life and trigger costly interventions.

TAQA’s autonomous inflow control devices (AICDs) are designed to restrict unwanted water and gas while preferentially allowing oil to flow along the reservoir section. By smoothing inflow and delaying breakthrough, wells remain productive for longer with fewer interventions.

Field results highlight the impact. In Oman, TAQA’s autonomous inflow control technology reduced water production by 30% and cut carbon intensity by 42%, while significantly increasing cumulative oil recovery. In Peru’s Block 95, similar systems reduced water by 36% and doubled oil output, alongside a 56% reduction in lifecycle carbon intensity.

“These results show that water management directly supports both recovery and emissions reduction,” Hillis notes.

Designing wells with water in mind

TAQA is increasingly combining high-resolution subsurface data with completion analytics to tailor inflow control designs to reservoir heterogeneity, rather than relying on averaged models. This allows better drawdown management, improved sweep efficiency, and delayed water and gas ingress.

The goal, Hillis says, is balance. “It’s not about choking wells. It’s about optimising inflow so you protect long-term performance.”

Water management does not end at installation. Wireless downhole monitoring and digitally enabled intelligent completions allow operators to track well behaviour in real time and respond earlier to changing conditions.

Next-generation systems, such as TAQA’s M4 Autonomous Inflow Control System, can adjust dynamically as fluid composition changes, helping to stabilise production and reduce the need for interventions.

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Water as a strategic advantage

Reducing produced water volumes lowers energy demand, surface infrastructure requirements, and emissions intensity across the asset. In a capital-constrained environment, fields that can sustain production with less water handling are more resilient and more valuable.

“Water sits at the intersection of cost, carbon, and recovery,” Hillis says. “If you manage it properly downhole, you unlock value across the entire operation.”

As upstream companies are asked to deliver more energy with a smaller footprint, smarter water management is moving from an operational fix to a strategic priority — and completions are where that shift begins.