Successful removal of platforms weighing upwards of 30,000 tonnes is taking the decommissioning industry to new levels of high-tech excellence with projects around the UK coastal shelf, but that does not reduce the challenge.
Many of these projects are of a magnitude that has not been undertaken anywhere else in the world.
There are more than 200 platforms, more than half of which are due to be removed in the next 10 years, and all of them significantly heavier than buildings on land of the same scale.
A large number of these platforms are hundreds of miles from land in the stormy waters of the North Sea.
There are also more than 2,500 wells and around 12,000km of pipeline to be removed.
Specialist UK companies are sitting at the heart of this challenge and spending record-breaking sums to achieve it.
Over the next 10 years alone, there could be almost £25 billion worth of decommissioning work available for these companies and a fascinating range of career opportunities for any student looking for a career in energy production and the opportunity to learn by taking things apart.
We are focused on the transferability of skills to make sure that people we have trained will still be employed in this challenging and exciting sector in 20 or 30 years time.
Our forthcoming Offshore Energies UK 2024 Decommissioning Insight report, due to be published on 19th November, will give an overview of the scale of the projects and the commercial opportunities ahead of us.
Our annual Decommissioning Conference, being held at the same time, will provide a unique opportunity for specialists in the field to share expertise, experience, and innovation.
We will also be publishing the world’s first guidelines on decommissioning offshore wind turbines as these installations too are beginning to reach the end of their natural lives in increasing numbers.
Over the next 10 years, we are expecting a £2.4 billion annual overall spend in the decommissioning sector, with a plan to plug 200 wells a year.
Tackling each of these installations presents unique dangers and difficulties.
Deconstructing them safely requires years of investigation and planning.
The supply chain is performing and delivering well, but the physical and logistical challenge of removing these structures has been compounded by the continuing fiscal uncertainty of recent years.
It has been difficult to boost investment because of the lack of clarity about the profitability of future UK production, making it difficult for operators to commit to the huge amount of spending needed to decommission at the pace that we’re aiming for.
Operators are being pushed to do the work as quickly as possible in an environment where costs are much higher than predicted.
In order to reduce costs, we must have more investment.
The regulatory framework is also constantly evolving and OEUK is at the forefront of communicating these changes to members and helping them manage their response.
However, our industry now has more than a decade of decommissioning experience behind us and decades of delivery ahead of us.
We are constantly improving our assimilation of new innovations, technological developments and lessons learned, so we ensure legal obligations are met in a timely, safe and cost-effective way.
Everything we learn is shared with regulators and I am keen that anyone who wants to work with us gets in touch, whether they are new organisations looking to join OEUK or individuals looking for a career.
Find out more about the OEUK Decommissioning Conference and the 2024 Decommissioning Insight report: https://oeuk.org.uk/
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