Oil & Gas UK's annual Decommissioning Insight forecasts that a total of £31,500 million will be spent on decommissioning UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) north sea oil production facilities over time, with £10,400 million to be spent between 2013 and 2022 alone.
The trade body's annual publication is widely regarded as the leading forecast for decommissioning activity and is based on a survey of 27 north sea operators among its membership of over 380 oil and gas producers and contractor companies. Operations Director Onnagh Werngren said: "The Oil & Gas UK Decommissioning Insight represents the latest view of decommissioning plans for the UKCS. It highlights the growth of the industry in coming years and offers the opportunity for both operators and contractors to collaborate to maximise efficiency and reduce cost."
Oil & Gas UK has also released updated guidelines on decommissioning cost estimation to allow development of robust and consistent decommissioning cost estimates that can be meaningfully compared across the industry. Guidance on well plugging and abandonment is also included. Ms Werngren said the guidelines would be used extensively to plan future projects.
Oil & Gas UK has also published a report called 'Decommissioning of Pipelines in the North Sea Region'. Environmental Issues Director Mick Borwell said: "The report provides a picture of the scale of pipeline infrastructure, an overview of pipeline decommissioning to date, and highlights the technical capabilities and limitations that currently impact decommissioning options. This gives an insight into the potential opportunities for technology development."
