NPT Benchmarking Report: Directional Drilling Performance in Permian vs. Llanos Basin

Executive Summary

This report benchmarks directional drilling performance across two of the Americas' highest-volume basins: the Permian Basin (West Texas/New Mexico) and the Llanos Basin (Colombia). Data is drawn from operations tracked through the Netora Drilling Intelligence platform.

Key findings:

Average NPT in the Permian stands at 7.2% of total rig hours; in the Llanos, 11.4%
BHA failure is the #1 NPT cause in both basins
AI-assisted parameter optimization reduces NPT by an average of 34% in tracked operations
Cost-per-foot in the Llanos is 22% higher than comparable Permian wells, driven primarily by logistics and stuck-pipe events

NPT Breakdown by Category

Permian Basin (Tracked: 847 wells, 2024–2025)

NPT Category	% of Total NPT Hours
BHA Failure / Washout	31.4%
Stuck Pipe	22.7%
Lost Circulation	18.3%
Surface Equipment	14.2%
Wellbore Instability	9.1%
Other	4.3%

Average NPT per well: 18.4 hours Average NPT cost per well: $142,000

Llanos Basin, Colombia (Tracked: 214 wells, 2024–2025)

NPT Category	% of Total NPT Hours
BHA Failure / Washout	28.9%
Stuck Pipe	29.3%
Lost Circulation	21.7%
Logistics / Mobilization	12.4%
Wellbore Instability	6.1%
Other	1.6%

Average NPT per well: 31.7 hours Average NPT cost per well: $218,000

ROP Performance

Permian Basin

Average ROP (vertical section): 187 ft/hr
Average ROP (curve section): 112 ft/hr
Average ROP (lateral section): 94 ft/hr

Llanos Basin

Average ROP (vertical section): 143 ft/hr
Average ROP (curve section): 89 ft/hr
Average ROP (lateral section): N/A (predominantly vertical and deviated wells)

AI Optimization Impact

Wells drilled with AI parameter recommendations from Netora Drilling Intelligence showed the following vs. offset wells in the same basin:

Metric	Permian AI-Assisted	Permian Offset	Llanos AI-Assisted	Llanos Offset
NPT (% of rig hours)	4.7%	7.2%	7.4%	11.4%
Avg ROP lateral (ft/hr)	108	94	—	—
BHA runs per well	1.8	2.4	2.1	3.1
Cost vs. AFE	-4.2%	+1.8%	-6.1%	+3.4%

Key Takeaways

BHA selection is the highest-leverage intervention. In both basins, AI-assisted BHA selection from analog databases reduces failure rates and extends run life.
Stuck pipe in the Llanos is under-managed. With 29.3% of NPT hours attributed to stuck pipe vs. 22.7% in the Permian, there is significant headroom for predictive stuck-pipe intervention in Colombian operations.
Real-time parameter optimization is not optional. The cost-per-foot delta between AI-assisted and non-assisted wells is $8.40/ft in the Permian and $14.20/ft in the Llanos — at 12,000 ft per well, that is $100,800–$170,400 per well in recovered cost.

Netora Drilling Intelligence is built by a team with experience tracking well performance across 120+ active rigs. Contact your Netora specialist for a basin-specific benchmarking analysis of your operations.