A lack of certainty and transparency around the timing of projects has been a persistent source of frustration for many service companies.
To tackle this issue, the Decommissioning and Repurposing Taskforce (DaRT), co-chaired by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and industry, is piloting the Decommissioning Data Visibility project.
Operators bp, EnQuest and Spirit Energy agreed to the release of a wide range of field-specific decommissioning information, including all-important schedules.
This information is provided in interactive dashboards to help suppliers keep abreast of work that will come up in the medium-term, giving them confidence to invest in technology and training. The dashboard can be accessed by clicking on the graphic below or by clicking here.
DaRT intends to expand the project next year to feature more operators’ decommissioning plans.
The initiative aims to support all parts of the decommissioning supply chain, including heavy-lift vessel owners, drilling contractors, subsea specialists, onshore dismantling firms and waste managers.
As well as finding out when work is expected to begin, users can see how many wells need to be decommissioned on each field and how much subsea infrastructure, including concrete mattresses and pipelines, must be cleaned and/or removed.
The dashboards also display the weight of topside modules and jackets earmarked for removal. This project ties in with the NSTA’s Decommissioning Strategy, which highlights the importance of data transparency to help foster a competitive and sustainable decommissioning market.
Improved collaboration and knowledge-sharing will be important if the industry is to achieve its target of reducing the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) decommissioning cost estimate by 35% by the end of 2022.
The taskforce’s Decommissioning Data Visibility project complements the NSTA’s Pathfinder website, which has been revamped and expanded to include a wider scope of information about near-term tendering opportunities across all types of projects, including energy transition developments.