Record Numbers at Offshore Decommissioning Conference

Industry interest in the Offshore Decommissioning Conference organised by Decom North Sea and Oil & Gas UK has resulted in another sell-out event as delegates gather in Dunblane yesterday to learn more about the opportunities available in the sector.

This year’s two-day conference, sponsored by Aker Solutions and Wood Group PSN, delivered with support from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, focuses on where supply meets demand in the North Sea decommissioning market.

Brian Nixon, Decom North Sea’s chief executive, and Paul Dymond, Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, are jointly chairing the event. Mr Dymond commented: “Decommissioning represents an emerging sector of activity in the North Sea which demands our full attention, focus and commitment.

“This annual event provides an opportunity to share best practices, output from studies and issues of concern in an interactive workshop style, where practical, to set the industry’s collaborative agenda for the coming year. This year the conference has attracted more than 240 delegates, a 40% increase in attendance since last year’s conference and one that reflects the value of this event.

“Our keynote speaker this year is Malcolm Webb, Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, who will outline the context for the challenges and opportunities that exist in the UK continental shelf (UKCS) which comprises three generic themes; fiscal, scope of regulatory requirements and cost effective execution. It is vital that we make the most of this opportunity to share insights into how the sector works in practice and we will also be building on the achievements and insights of conference attendees.”

Mr Nixon said: “Many operators are now a further year into the detailed planning and preparation of their respective decommissioning programmes. Similarly a growing number of contractors, service specialists, consultants and supply chain members have progressed their development since last October.

“We will be sharing details of research Decom North Sea has carried out into contracting strategies and detailing market opportunities opening up over the next five years, particularly in the Southern North Sea. I hope that all delegates will benefit from the numerous opportunities for open and honest dialogue with their industry peers.”

Delegates will hear the latest update on the UKCS Decommissioning Market Report compiled by Oil & Gas UK, which will reveal that the decommissioning market is very much a reality with around £4 billion forecast to be spent over the next five years, with over half that in the wells sector.

Although this is only 10% of the level of investment in future UKCS development and production opportunities, this is still a substantial sum and represents attractive business opportunities for companies ready and prepared to take on the challenge.

The programme has been further broadened beyond the technical and contractual discussions to include a focus on environmental issues and workshops that will look at the technology requirements necessary for the future of the decommissioning sector.

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Source: decomnorthsea, October 6, 2011