User: Why would an oil and gas exploration company utilize directional drilling in their drilling program?
Assistant: There are several reasons and oil and gas exploration company would need to utilize directional drilling techniques when drilling wells. If, for any reason, a drill site is not accessible from the surface (ground level) then the drilling rig will be offset from the target. Because the drilling rig is not physically able to locate on top of the geological target the oil and gas company must use directional drilling techniques to steer the well to the target from an offset position. Examples of this could include drilling for resources under Federal land or when drilling in highly populated areas. Another reason for utilizing directional drilling techniques is to maximize hydrocarbon production. Directional drillers can turn the well-bore to intersect with the target zone at the X-Y axis, instead of only through the Z-axis. This maximizes the amount of "zone" the well-bore has access to.