Thursday 30 July 2015

New Oil & Gas UK Guidance on Planned Maintenance Shutdowns to Improve Efficiency and Reliability Offshore

Oil & Gas UK has today (30 July) launched new guidelines to minimise the frequency and duration of planned maintenance shutdowns and to improve the reliability and safety of installations on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) as part of the industry-wide drive to improve efficiency.

 The ‘Guidance for the Efficient Execution of Planned Maintenance Shutdowns (PMSDs)’ comprises good practice for all types of planned shutdowns including corrective, breakdown maintenance, inspection activities, engineering and construction work, ranging from new tie-ins to modifications. Guidance is provided on topics including minimising the frequency and duration of PMSDs, good planning and delivery and ensuring that the industry identifies the resources required well in advance.

 Production efficiency, a measure of how much oil and gas an offshore installation actually produces compared to its  maximum production potential, suffered a dramatic fall from 80 per cent in 2004 to 60 per cent in 2012, which directly translated into a significant production decline. Since 2013, the Production Efficiency Task Force has been working across the industry and efficiency has increased to 65 per cent, with further improvement in sight.

 Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, Oonagh Werngren, said: “Better management of summer shutdowns, when major maintenance and construction to bring new production on-stream are undertaken, is seen as one of the principal ways of improving production efficiency. Companies have been addressing this and a recovery in production efficiency, along with an improvement in production performance, is emerging. This guidance document will help cement and build on that progress.”

 “The UK oil and gas industry is working to address its high cost base and improve efficiency so that competitiveness can be restored allowing it to become an attractive destination for investors again. In publishing good practice guidance, Oil & Gas UK is helping to raise the bar in efficient operations.”

 

Ends

Notes to Editors

·         For more information, please contact Lucy Gordon on lgordon@oilandgasuk.co.uk or 01224 577331.

·         The Guidance for the Efficient Execution of Planned Maintenance Shutdowns is available free to Oil & Gas UK members and for a fee to non-members here .

·         Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its members, who number over 500, are companies licensed by the Government to explore for, and produce, oil and gas in UK waters and those in the industry’s supply chain.

·         Since 2013, the industry has focused on improving production efficiency through the Production Efficiency Task Force established by PILOT, the programme involving industry and government aimed at securing the long-term future of the UKCS and ensuring full economic recovery of our hydrocarbon resources.