TAQA (ADX: TAQA) intends to cease production from all of its UK North Sea platforms by the end of 2027.
The UAE-headquartered operator, which entered the region in 2007, has seven existing platforms in the UK, and will transition four of them to cessation of production (CoP) next year.
That’s ahead of hitting CoP for the final three, in the Central North Sea, by the end of 2027, followed by down-manning and full decommissioning.
UK managing director Donald Taylor said: “Over the next five years or so, we will cease production and disembark all seven of our North Sea assets.
“Next year alone, we will transition four of our platforms towards cessation of production.
“There are, however, multiple other associated activities either in planning or underway, all of which are heavily independent and constitute a plan that’s been devised, developed and been delivered by our exceptionally talented people within TAQA.”
Programme of work
Mr Taylor was speaking at the OEUK decommissioning conference in St Andrews this week.
TAQA has already decommissioned its Brae Bravo platform and upper jacket via the heavy lift firm Heerema.
The firm has a contract in place with heavy lift firm Allseas to remove the North Cormorant, Cormorant Alpha, Eider and Tern post-2025.
All of those Northern North Sea assets are transitioning to CoP next year, TAQA said.
Simultaneous P&A campaigns are underway on North Cormorant and Cormorant Alpha, and TAQA is currently in advance planning for 52 wells to be P&A’d in its portfolio.
Central North Sea to follow
Next to be decommissioned are the central North Sea assets of Brae Alpha, which this year celebrated 40 years of production, and East Brae, while TAQA is collaborating with the supply chain to find an optimum solution for Harding, a three-legged structure.
Mr Taylor said Heerema has landed a contract for upcoming work remove the East Brae platform.
There are some stumbling blocks; a question mark remains over the jacket “footings” of the Brae Bravo asset, as TAQA is seeking a derogation to the OSPAR convention to allow them to be left on the seabed.
Nonetheless, Mr Taylor said TAQA will not deviate from its decommissioning plans.
“Of course we need to be nimble, and we need to be ready to accommodate any change driven by external factors, but we won’t deviate from our strategy, our direction of travel.
“To do so invites inefficiency, uncertainty and potentially costly delays.
“We’re already engaging with peer operators who want to learn more about our decommissioning journey and it’s one of the first things we tell them: trust your plan and trust your people.”
Owned by the UAE Government, TAQA first entered the North Sea in 2007 with a series of deals with firms including BP and Talisman.
The UK headquarters are based in Kingswells on the outskirts of Aberdeen.
Recommended for you
