Shell has received the green light to decommission its Goldeneye platform in the North Sea.
The Anglo-Dutch firm submitted plans to the UK Government for the installation, 80 miles north-east of Aberdeen, in November last year.
Plans have been approved to remove the jacket, topsides and decommision the wells and subsea infrastructure.
However a second document for the pipelines will be submitted later as they are hoped to be used as part of a carbon, capture and storage (CCS) project.
In August, Energy Voice revealed that Shell, in partnership with Chrysaor, intended to re-use pipelines for Goldeneye as part of the Acorn CCS project at the St Fergus Gas Terminal in Aberdeenshire.
Shell said the second document describing decommissioning solutions for pipelines going from Goldeneye to landfall near the St Fergus terminal would be tabled later.
It added that discussions between regulator Opred and CCUS stakeholders are ongoing as the UK develops policy on re-using oil and gas infrastructure.
It would then “be appropriate for the decision on decommissioning of the pipelines to be taken in line with the policy when that policy has been finalised”.
The topsides, weighing 1,245 tonnes, and jacket, which wrights 2,779 tonnes, will be completely removed to shore.
All exploration wells have already been plugged and abandoned.
Work for the removal of the topsides and jacket is slated to take place between 2020 and 2023.
Goldeneye produced first gas in 2004 and ceased production in 2011.
Shell is 49.1% owner and operator of the installation, with partners Esso (40.4%), Endeavour Energy (7%) and Spirit Energy (3.5%).
