Decommissioning work has started which will finally close the chapter on the decades-old oil terminal at Nigg, operated by Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK).
RSRUK confirmed that Liberty Industrial, contracted to carry out the work, has kicked off efforts for the decontamination, demolition and site remediation of the 75-acre Highlands facility.
The Nigg Oil Terminal was commissioned in 1981 by the British National Oil Corporation as part of the Beatrice development.
© Supplied by -Beatrice supplied Nigg for 35 years before the field ceased production in 2016.
Decommissioning work at the oil terminal is expected to complete in 2025, at which point the site will be handed back to leaseholder Global Energy Group.
Liberty Industrial is a deconstruction, and remediation services firm based in Australia with UK offices in Teesside.
The terminal sits a mile south-west of the Village of Nigg and around 35 miles north-east of Inverness.
Global Energy Group
Global Energy Group (GEG) took over the long-term operation of the Nigg Oil Terminal jetty in 2020, under a new lease with Crown Estates Scotland, after reaching agreement with Repsol Sinopec.
The facility is be operated as an extension to GEG’s neighbouring Port of Nigg, which serivces oil and gas, offshore renewables and other energy markets.
Repsol Sinopec continues to operate the main oil terminal and work towards final decommissioning of its facilities.
A Repsol Sinopec spokesperson said: “In December 2022 we awarded a decommissioning contract to Liberty Industrial Ltd (Liberty) for the decontamination, demolition and site remediation of Nigg Oil Terminal. Decommissioning activity has commenced as planned and we are in the process of ramping up activity.
“The site will be handed back to the leaseholder (Global Energy Group) at the end of 2025. The Nigg decommissioning work represents a significant milestone in our company’s decommissioning journey, which we intend to deliver as cost-efficiently as possible whilst minimising environmental impact.”