A decommissioning strategy underway

The current low oil price environment has created upheaval for the oil gas industry globally. In a world where the US$60 barrel seems to becoming the new norm, operators must face the reality that some offshore wells and fields are no longer economically viable and will need to be abandoned.

At the same time, poor integrity of offshore wells, facilities and subsea infrastructure remains a critical issue for decommissioning. In Malaysia, for example, an estimated 50% of platforms are operating at or beyond their original design life. Many of them, if left in the water unchecked, have the potential to cause devastating harm to the environment.

In order to prevent lasting damage to the marine environment and to mitigate against the huge cost of decommissioning, it is vital that operators and service companies in South East Asia are armed with the knowledge of how to permanently plug and abandon non-producing wells and how to safely and effectively remove offshore facilities.

At the same time, the decommissioning industry should be seen as an opportunity for service companies to develop their decommissioning capabilities and be ready to take a slice of the decommissioning market as other service companies have prospered in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

At such a crucial time, huge questions remain to be dealt with, including:

• How can a regulatory regime which supports decommissioning be put in place?
• How can local operator and contractor expertise and capability be developed to support the growing decommissioning demand?
• How can we ensure that costly P&A and decommissioning activities can be done more efficiently and kept within budget?

With these questions in mind, DecomWorld is pleased to announce the Decommissioning and Mature Wells Management Conference. This meeting will bring together over 150 leading global operators, service providers and industry experts to discuss their more innovative case studies and strategies to engage in cost-effective and safe decommissioning and abandonment.

On 2 - 4 December 2015, 150+ senior level engineering and operations executives will gather at the Decommissioning and Mature Wells Management Conference. The meeting will provide the opportunity for comprehensive training for those new to the area and for those well versed in decommissioning to build and develop their knowledge with new case study insight from Asia Pacific and international projects.

Highlights of the conference will include:

• Comprehensive decommissioning half day training workshop, run by TSB Offshore.
• A Petronas case study in cost reduction during abandonment using rigless technology.
• Find out howPertamina is facilitating decommissioning using a structural integrity management system on a mature asset.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/10092015/a-decommissioning-strategy-underway-1254/