Tuesday 22 August 2000

UKOOA Response to DTI Decommissioning Guidance Notes

The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) welcomes the publication of guidance notes on the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations.

James May, UKOOA's Director General, said: "The document clarifies the procedures Operators should follow when preparing decommissioning programmes for Government approval. This will help to simplify and speed up the process, as well as providing the framework that will ensure that the requirements of the OSPAR Convention (Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic) are met.

"Twenty offshore installations have been decommissioned in the UK since 1988. These have been mainly small-scale, and most were removed to shore or re-used. As the North Sea matures, the removal of redundant infrastructure will become a more pressing issue, particularly for large structures of 10,000 tonnes or more. No installation of this size has ever been removed. Also, since no two platforms are alike, each new decommissioning plan is likely to vary from case to case.

"UKOOA is pleased to see that the guidance notes provide the flexibility necessary to deal with these larger platforms, allowing room for innovation and fresh ideas. This is particularly important if the Industry is to develop the new technologies required to bring the heavier structures to shore."

Note to Editors

1. The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) is the representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its 29 members are licensed by the British Government to find and produce hydrocarbons in UK waters.

2. "The Guidance Notes for Industry covering the decommissioning of offshore installations and pipelines under the Petroleum Act 1998 (Guidance Notes)" are published today (21 August 2000) by the DTI.

3. At the first Ministerial Meeting of the OSPAR convention at Sintra, Portugal in July 1998, it was agreed (Decision 98/3) to prohibit the dumping or leaving wholly or partly in place of offshore installations; and that the topsides of all installations must be returned to shore.

However, it is recognised that there may be difficulties in removing the "footings" of large steel jackets weighing more than 10,000 tonnes and in removing concrete installations. Derogations may therefore be granted if the internationally agreed assessment and consultation process shows that the case for leaving such installations wholly or partly in place is justifiable.

4. There are currently over 200 installations in the UK Continental Shelf. Twenty have been decommissioned to date, including 10 fixed steel; 5 floating; and 2 subsea installations.

5. UKOOA was one of the Industry organisations consulted by the DTI on its draft Decommissioning Guidance Notes.

6. A pan-industry group – the North Sea Decommissioning Group – has been created within PILOT, the government and oil and gas industry partnership, to deal with decommissioning issues across the offshore secto

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.