Wednesday 1 April 2009

Oil & Gas UK Conference Offers Suppliers Heads Up on New Decommissioning Business

Over one hundred and fifty delegates will have the opportunity to improve their grasp of the business opportunities presented by the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure at Oil & Gas UK's two-day Southern North Sea decommissioning conference to be held on 26 and 27 May 2009 in Newcastle, sponsored by DECC.

Paul Dymond, Oil & Gas UK's operations director, said: "Despite improved oil and gas recovery techniques delaying decommissioning in many cases, some projects are already going ahead in the North Sea. These and future projects, conservatively valued at £23 billion in UK waters alone, present considerable opportunities for the upstream oil and gas industrys supply chain to invest in the provision of innovative services and new technology."

In order to take advantage of these openings and attain sustainable business continuity for decades to come, they must, without delay, understand and prepare to meet the requirements of this market. The conference provides the ideal opportunity for North Sea operators and suppliers alike to learn from the vast experience of companies involved in the decommissioning of Gulf of Mexico infrastructure and other provinces around the world and improve their grasp of what lies ahead in the North Sea.

This unique event offers the added benefit of an all-under-one-roof approach to the transfer of knowledge and expertise in this important area. Not only will it give operators access to a broad range of technology and service companies, it will enable suppliers to reduce the costs of researching new business opportunities by way of a share fair session.

Conference delegates will be welcomed by keynote speakers with accounts of decommissioning projects in the Gulf of Mexico by Chevron and Superior and in the North Sea by BP and Shell. Speakers from the North Sea upstream industrys representative organisations, Ramboll of Denmark and NOGEPA of the Netherlands, will then outline the markets for decommissioning in their respective countries and together with the keynote speakers, debate the differences and similarities between the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern North Sea.

During the remainder of the first day, the focus will be on methods of managing the process of decommissioning including a presentation on work breakdown structure by Design Alpha, on contracting strategies by Proserv and on Able UK's experience of onshore disposal and management.

On the second day, delegates will turn their attention to the technical capabilities required in Southern North Sea decommissioning. Halliburton will address them on pipeline cleaning and the use of explosives and they will learn from InterAct about innovation in well abandonment and from Norse Cutting & Abandonment on operating techniques.

In addition, late-life asset owners will participate in an interactive share fair session, explaining to suppliers their forward plans and providing invaluable information on platform types, number of wells and pipelines required. The conference dinner, a superb opportunity for networking and included in the price of attending the conference, will be held on the evening of the first day of the event.

The conference presents an excellent opportunity for debate and networking on a topic crucial to the future of the North Sea.

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS

Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry.  Its 81 members are companies licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters and those who form any part of the industry's supply chain.

 

Sally Fraser

Oil & Gas UK Media Relations               

2nd Floor                                                          

232-242 Vauxhall Bridge Road   

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Tel:       020 7802 2404

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Email:   sfraser@oilandgasuk.co.uk

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http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk