Offshore Decommissioning
The region offers:
- 40+ years heritage of offshore experience and transferable skills
- A strong, established energy industry network
- Direct dockside access and proximity to ports and international airports
- Innovation hubs focusing on the oil and gas sector
There are more than 600 offshore oil and gas installations in the North Sea,
470 of them in UK waters.
They include
- Sub-sea equipment fixed to the ocean floor;
- Rigs and platforms of many varying styles, sizes and ages
- More than 10,000km of pipelines;
- Around 5,000 wells and accumulations of drill cuttings
Many of the structures producing oil and gas have a limited lifespan, often 25-40 years, and an increasing number are due to be taken out of service.
When redundant, they must be removed and disposed of, ensuring that the surrounding area is safe from environmental contamination.
Decommissioning has become a major business within the oil and gas industry and is a lengthy and high cost operation.
A high percentage of installations based off the coast of the East of England are within easy reach of companies based in the region.
The four main stages involved in a decommissioning project are:
- Assessment to select the right option
- Application to the Government to cease production
- Approval to proceed with the recommended option
- Operations to remove the structure to shore
Decommissioning North Sea oil and gas facilities is projected to cost £24-36bn over the next 30 years, a fruitful field for specialist companies in the region.
