Decommissioning Insight 2018

DECOMMISSIONING INSIGHT 2018

6.1 Forecast Decommissioning Activity

Figure 14: UKCS Decommissioning Activity Forecast, 2018 to 2027

Northern North Sea andWest of Shetland

Central North Sea

Southern North Sea and Irish Sea

Total UKCS

Number of fields with decommissioning activity Number of wells to be decommissioned Proportion of wells that are platformwells

39

83

81

203

391

599

475

1,465

51%

47%

86%

61%

Number of topsides for removal

10

16

48

74

Number of substructures for removal

8

10

53

71

Topside weight to be removed (tonnes)

232,655

292,369

80,000

605,024

Substructure weight to be removed (tonnes)

130,899

48,608

65,457

244,964

Subsea structures to be removed (tonnes)

19,479

33,609

1,129

54,217

Number of mattresses for removal

3,610

10,135

4,391

18,136

Length of pipelines to be decommissioned (km)

2,029

2,533

1,162

5,724

In comparison to last year’s forecast, the majority of activities have seen a reduction in scope, although increases are visible in some areas. For example, although only 203 fields are identified to undergo decommissioning activity (compared with 214 last year), the central North Sea’s share has grown to 83 fields — a slight increase from the 77 reported last year. Similarly, there are more wells due for decommissioning in the southern North Sea, with 475 expected by 2027, compared with the 452 reported in the previous forecast, which ran to 2025.

There is also an increase in the length of pipelines to be decommissioned, with 5,724 km now expected over the next ten years, compared to the 5,514 km forecast in last year’s report.

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