Decommissioning Committee

Decom_Committees.jpgThere are more than 5,000 oil & gas structures offshore, world-wide. At the end of their operational life, these structures will require decommissioning.

The decommissioning process presents a number of critical challenges to operators in terms of engineering capability, safety and – significantly – costs. In addition to the national regulatory processes that set out requirements for decommissioning, regional and international (global) processes and requirements have been developed.

The Decommissioning Committee addresses the challenges of handling offshore structures in a safe, environmentally protective and cost-efficient manner, taking into account prevailing regulatory requirements. It is therefore important that the Committee:

  • Identifies and addresses the engineering challenges of decommissioning
  • Identifies and shares experiences and best technologies and practices associated with the removal, re-use and/or disposal of offshore infrastructure
  • Identifies cost-effective strategies for managing decommissioning projects through benchmarking
  • Advises OGP members on relevant regulatory developments that may have direct or indirect bearing on decommissioning
  • Liaises with other OGP committees on aspects of decommissioning relating to safety and environmental performance

The Committee aims to establish programmes (possibly funded through JIPs) to study environmental consequences of decommissioning, technology development, the sharing of best practices and benchmarking.