The OGA Strategy sets out the obligations, expectations and priorities for owners of redundant offshore oil and gas infrastructure, requiring them to consider opportunities for reuse or repurposing, as part of their late-life asset management, once hydrocarbon production has ceased.
Reuse or repurposing of offshore infrastructure can reduce waste and help accelerate the energy transition. Reuse presents opportunities for existing oil and gas infrastructure to support alternative hydrocarbon production from other fields or developments. Repurposing enables infrastructure to remain in the marine environment for use, or potential future use, by another industry, for example, to support carbon capture and storage (CCS).
The NSTA applies a structured approach to evaluating alternatives to decommissioning. For fields or assets within six years of their planned Cessation of Production (CoP), operators are required to complete and submit a description of reuse or repurposing opportunities, together with any other alternatives to decommissioning that are either under consideration or deemed to be feasible to explore further. This information must be provided using the standardised template linked below:
Click here to download a version of the Repurposing screening matrix - (Please download the file and use the desktop version of Excel to edit it, then send the completed version to decom.team@nstauthority.co.uk)
This screening tool supports NSTA–operator engagement by identifying infrastructure that may have value for reuse or repurposing, highlighting potential barriers or constraints, and capturing insights into any other alternatives to decommissioning that the operator is aware of, or considering.
Through its Asset Transition Process, the NSTA will seek to identify opportunities that align with its strategic objectives and will work with industry to address barriers where feasible, particularly where existing oil and gas infrastructure could play a meaningful role in enabling the energy transition.