WorldWide Drilling Resource

28 FEBRUARY 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Utilities Industry Could Boost HDD Market Adapted from a Grand View Research Report According to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., the global horizontal directional drilling (HDD) market size is expected to reach $14.95 billion by 2022. The HDD market was estimated at $5.12 billion in 2014; however, the growth within the telecom- munication industry and increased prominence of the environment-friendly trenchless technology are expected to increase demand. With the advancement of telecom technologies such as 4G and 5G, the demand for cellular towers and transmission systems has increased, and this demand is expected to increase the usage of HDD. With more people needing faster and secure means of voice and data transmission, as well as the increasing rate of urbanization, directional drilling has grown in the telecom segment. Additionally, power and gas companies are seeking innovative ways to reduce the distribution cost and in- crease for installation of conduit and pipelines without the need for deep excavations. The report also highlighted the challenges of meeting the demand with a lack of skilled operators and contractors with HDD experience. Operators must be skilled to select drill heads, reaming devices, and drill fluid compatible with the conditions encountered on the job. However, such skilled operators are difficult to find, causing contractors to turn to experienced rotary drill operators and providing them on-the-job training to qualify them to operate the horizontal directional drill equipment. HDD technology is also an integral part of pipeline construction projects. It provides environmental and economical solutions for crossing underneath rivers and traffic ways, flood protection dams, foundations of buildings or infrastructure objects, and topo- graphic obstacles such as mountain zones, non-crossable terrains, nature reserves, orthogonal situated hills and rims, parks, city areas, and rock ridges.