Decommissioning
The Netherlands has some 160 existing oil & gas platforms on the North Sea, the majority of which are approaching the end of their economic lifespan. The sector is facing a major operation to reuse or disassemble this infrastructure, part of which could be used to accelerate the energy transition by utilising platforms and wells for hydrogen production and CO2 storage.
In addition, new wind farms will be built on the North Sea in the coming years. These too will have a limited economic lifespan and have to be dismantled and (partly) recycled in due course.
AYOP supports its members in developing ideas on how decommissioning can be realised in the most sustainable way possible.
Focus areas
REUSE OR DISASSEMBLY
The North Sea is fuller than it seems!
Over recent decades the Dutch North Sea has been equipped with a substantial infrastructure of platforms for extracting and transporting oil & gas. The first wind farms arrived some ten years ago at the same sea. Changing technology means there are also various communication cables on the sea bed that are no longer required. Technological and market developments have resulted in parts of the seagoing fleet becoming redundant.
Environmental awareness and scarcity of space on the North Sea are resulting in the increased and sustainable decommissioning of infrastructure. It is also increasingly common to consider whether existing infrastructure can be reused for other purposes.
A large part of the Dutch platforms is approaching the end of their economic lifespan. The sector is facing a major operation to reuse or disassemble this infrastructure, part of which could be used to accelerate the energy transition by utilising the platforms and wells for hydrogen production and CO2 storage. In addition, new wind farms will be built on the North Sea in the coming years. These too will have a limited economic lifespan and have to be dismantled and (partly) recycled in due course.
DecomMissionBlue is a collaboration between various AYOP members who share the ambition for an efficient, fast and, most importantly, sustainable method to decommission and recycle offshore installations and maritime objects. DecomMissionBlue is dedicated to achieving a cleaner North Sea.
RESEARCH REPORTS
Nexstep, a Dutch platform for reuse and disassembly, is examining the options to stimulate cost reductions and a predictable flow of disassembly projects by clustering multiple platforms and promoting intensive cooperation.
NEXSTEP-Re-use-Decommissioning-report-2023
