Decommissioning Insight 2015

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DECOMMISSIONING INSIGHT 2015
6. Supply Chain Capability
With over £800 million spent on decommissioning on the UKCS in 2014 (see section 5) and £16.9 billion forecast to
be spent in total over the next ten years, decommissioning offers a significant opportunity for the UK supply chain
to develop skills, technologies and expertise that can also be exported worldwide.
A small number of large decommissioning projects are already under way, while 95 per cent of projects included
in this survey are in the early planning stages and will move towards the contracting stage within the next
few years.
Companies and local authorities are preparing for this growth in the market by investing in new decommissioning
facilities and extending harbours and ports. Aberdeen harbour, for example, is being expanded to include additional
facilities at Nigg Bay, with heavy-lift capabilities and the ability to accommodate larger vessels10. The Lerwick
Port Authority is also investing around £30 million into extending its quays and developing deep-water berths. It
believes this expansion will make Lerwick well placed to take on further decommissioning work 11. Montrose Port
Authority will be investing £15 million to build on previous upgrades to the harbour to include more deep-water
berths and heavy-lift pads12. Also, Peterson and Veolia are developing a £1 million decommissioning facility in
Great Yarmouth to make this area the centre for decommissioning in the SNS region13.
These investments will help establish the UK as a hub for decommissioning expertise and capability. A key element in
developing the supply chain’s future capability will be co-operative working practices to create innovative solutions
to undertake decommissioning in an environmentally sound, safe and cost-effective manner.
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