ONS 2026: SLB launches electrical coiled tubing intervention system for greater downhole control

SLB's new ExaCT electrical downhole control system replaces hydraulic actuation with real-time electrical communication and telemetry.
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Aug. 26, 2026
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Why this news matters:

  • The new system represents a shift from hydraulically controlled to electrically controlled coiled tubing interventions, offering greater precision and real-time visibility during well operations. 

  • Field deployments indicate significant time savings and improved access to multilateral wells, potentially reducing intervention costs while enhancing production performance.

 

Courtesy SLB
SLB's coiled tubing intervention spread

SLB personnel stand beside coiled tubing intervention equipment used to support advanced well intervention operations. The company's new ExaCT system introduces real-time electrical control, telemetry and downhole communication capabilities to improve intervention efficiency and reservoir access.

At ONS 2026, SLB has released the ExaCT electrical downhole coiled tubing (CT) control system, an intervention platform that replaces traditional hydraulic actuation with real-time electrical communication, power delivery and telemetry.

The company says the system provides continuous visibility and control of downhole tools during coiled tubing operations, enabling more precise interventions in extended-reach and multilateral wells. 

According to SLB, the technology also supports multiple services in a single run, including logging, stimulation, isolation and shifting operations, helping reduce intervention time and the need for multiple well entries.

In a field deployment involving a six-lateral well, the ExaCT system reportedly cut intervention time by about 175 hours and allowed operators to access each lateral in roughly 12 minutes compared with six to eight hours using conventional hydraulic systems.

SLB said the platform is designed to improve intervention efficiency, increase reservoir access and support more automated intervention workflows through real-time monitoring and control of downhole conditions.

SLB is exhibiting at booth 8150, Hall 8, at the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) event this week in Stavanger, Norway. The company will be demonstrating the ExaCT system at its booth.

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This piece was created with the help of generative AI tools and edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.

About the Author

Ariana Hurtado
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Ariana Hurtado

Editor-in-Chief

With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective. 

Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore's magazine, newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer. 

Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.

She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.

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