The Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF)’s latest Innovation Network Tech Talk event brought together 120 technology developers, industry bodies, service companies and operators to discover the opportunities for efficient and cost-effective decommissioning and well abandonment.
The free event was held during the first day of SPE Offshore Europe 2017 at the Chester Hotel, Aberdeen. Companies including Wood Group, OGTC, Expro, Petrofac, Premier Oil, Lloyds Register, OGIC, Exxon Mobil, OGA, ConocoPhillips, BP, Marathon Oil and Technip FMC were in attendance.
According to the latest cost estimate from the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA), the predicted price tag to decommission UKCS oil and gas infrastructure is £59.7billion. The OGA has challenged the industry to cut the cost of dismantling all current and proposed offshore facilities by at least 35% to less than £39billion.
In an interactive session supported by Decom North Sea, the Tech Talk tackled the decommissioning challenges faced by the industry as well as showcase new technologies and the latest developments in decommissioning activity.
Roger Esson, Chief Executive of Decom North Sea, presented on ‘connecting capability with opportunity’, an overview of decommissioning in the region and what opportunities are available for companies in the sector.
John Wiseman, Managing Director of Fairfield Energy delivered a presentation on well plug and abandonment from an operator’s perspective. He provided an update on the company’s decommissioning of its Greater Dunlin Area assets and stressed the importance of testing and validating the performance of new technologies to lower the cost of plugging and abandonment.
Proserv CEO, David Lamont stressed that ongoing development of cut verification and real time monitoring is essential for efficient and reliable severance operations. He showcased case studies which demonstrated the benefits of Proserv’s ‘proof of cut’ capability as part of the company’s drive for operational excellence, through innovation. He said: “The Tech Talk was a very successful event with good representation from across industry. We were pleased to showcase some of the international decommissioning projects and new technologies that we’re involved in.”
Delegates also heard from developers, Sudelac on a tubing de-forming centralising tool, a casing slotting tool and a hydraulic disconnect tool which they say can save businesses time and costs. Ardyne presented on its specialised technology and services to the global energy industry, which focuses on reducing rig time spent on downhole casing removal in slot recovery, workover, and plug & abandonment operations.
Zero Waste Scotland revealed how it can offer its support to SMEs in terms of business development as well as investment to ensure Scotland realises the economic, environmental and social benefits of making best use of the world’s limited natural resources.
ITF launched its global online Innovation Network last year to raise the profile of oil and gas SMEs direct to its membership of operator and service companies. The Innovation Network is an active online community enabling oil and gas SMEs to promote their technologies and services direct to end users and also keep up to date with the latest technology needs of the industry.
The next ITF Tech Talk will take place on the evening of Tuesday, November 21 at the Chester Hotel. More information will be available online shortly at www.itfenergy.com.
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