Andrew Greenwood, Recruitment Director – Europe and Africa at Airswift, provides commentary on Conservative decommissioning policy.
“The Conservatives have stated in their manifesto that they will continue to support the UK’s oil and gas sector to begin developing a world-leading decommissioning industry in the North Sea. The start of decommissioning offers significant revenue for the UK’s supply chain. However, oil and gas operators are faced with a lack of experience, so having the right team in place will be vital to the success of this burgeoning sector. If the right talent isn’t in place, operators could face delays, rising costs and significant safety issues.
It will therefore be important that operators and the UK take the time to invest in decommissioning training and expertise. If they do, cities such as Aberdeen may become decommissioning centres of excellence. The UK could then export this talent around the world with individual companies establishing themselves as experts in running large-scale decommissioning programmes.”