Decommissioning
Plugging operations are scheduled to begin early 2026.
Global offshore decommissioning projects hear the starting gun in Australia and the North Sea, but will the race be a marathon or a sprint?
Delayed decommissioning has been a theme on the UK Continental Shelf thanks to legal, regulatory, and technical hurdles, the report says.
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Well plugging and abandoning on a limited budget is a lofty goal that forces the industry to consider new ways and new materials. Cost-effectively dealing with this global problem will require developing tools to carry out the decommissioning without bringing in a drilling rig. -
While decommissioning is not new, the need is accelerating, along with cost and regulatory requirements. A panel at ATCE discussed the challenges in executing decommissioning projects.
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A strong reason for removing old platforms from the Gulf of Mexico, rather than trying to squeeze more years of marginal production out of them, is hurricanes.
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Much of the new technology development occurring now is aimed at finding better ways to sever the thick, tough steel structures and wellheads so that they can be removed.
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When he started his firm focused on removing obsolete offshore structures, Brian Twomey chose the name: Reverse Engineering Services. The thinking was that taking out a structure is like building it, but in reverse.
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Decommissioning costs are often made higher by decisions made during the initial engineering and construction stages of an offshore oil or gas field. Designing with a critical eye can go a long way toward reducing the decommissioning costs, which occur decades later.
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Industry perceives decommissioning projects as more risky and uncertain than capital projects. Several recent decommissioning projects delivered in an immature marketplace seem to support this view.
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Advances in modeling techniques allow quantitative prediction of long-term trends in cuttings-pile characteristics and environmental risks, providing firm direction in mitigating risks.
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The great majority of wells do not pollute.
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P&A activities using digital slickline increase equipment, logistic, and marine-support efficiency.
