Oil & Gas UK Economic Report 2015

As operator of the Brent field, Shell is required to submit a Decommissioning Programme to DECC. The programme will include detailed recommendations for closing down and making safe the four platforms and subsea infrastructure of the Brent field, including 140 wells, comprising over 400 individual well bores. These recommendations will be the result of over eight years of engineering studies, including the commissioning of over 300 separate studies, expert input, consultations and scientific assessments, including extensive discussions with stakeholders. Early stakeholder engagement and research has been essential, and Shell has carried out a thorough and transparent process of in-depth consultation with interested parties, as well as with technical specialists and experts from across the industry. Since 2007, Shell has received input from over 180 organisations, including non-governmental organisations, academics, local fishermen and community groups, as well as local and national government, involving over 400 individuals. The company has communicated regularly through its website, meetings, presentations and media briefings.

The expertise and input of people from outside of the project has made a significant contribution to the recommendations for decommissioning. Their insights and experience have contributed to the decision-making. The project team has been, and continues to be, in dialoguewith a range of organisations that are affected by and take an interest in the Brent field’s decommissioning to understand their views. There has also been extensive work with industry bodies and technical experts to explore the full range of options and test the recommendations. To ensure the validity of the science, an independent group of externally appointed experts and scientists, called the Independent Review Group (IRG) was set up in 2006 at the outset of the project. Its role is to review objectively all the scientific and engineering methods that have been used to assess the decommissioning options and verify that they are based on sound science. The project has responded to around 3,000 review comments from the IRG since its work began. The IRG panel is chaired by Professor John Shepherd, a professor of oceanography at the University of Southampton, who also sits on the UK Government’s climate change

Brent field

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ECONOMIC REPORT 2015

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