PDi’s Global Business Development Director and IDP strategic lead, Kirstie Langan explains: “PDi has an extensive track record in Decommissioning Project Management and IDP presents a unique decommissioning model. We streamline the supply chain, providing a single interface whilst expertly managing interdependencies, safeguarding critical campaign paths. The IDP team are absolutely thrilled that the North Sea Transition Authority has chosen us, after a rigorous competitive process, to complete this significant well decommissioning planning project. This project aims to provide insights and value to all stakeholders in the North Sea at this critical point in the evolution of our energy sector. Our team will develop a comprehensive approach to supply and demand drivers based on quantitative and qualitative data and develop outputs that can support decision making over a range of timelines and constraint models by multiple stakeholders across the decommissioning value chain”.
The project will identify which UKCS well bores will be ready for decommissioning between 2026 to 2030 and quantify the supply chain capacity required to undertake the work. These insights will guide the NSTA’s efforts to promote and facilitate well decommissioning campaigns involving multiple operators and fields, an approach which can save time and money.
Alasdair Thomas, Decommissioning Manager at the NSTA, said: “As the basin continues to mature, more fields will permanently shut down and more wells will need to be fully decommissioned. Developing a holistic programme for well decommissioning activity will help us hold licensees to account, ensuring they do the work in a timely and cost-efficient manner which supports the supply chain. We are excited to be working with PDi and its partners on the delivery of this game-changing project.”
The IDP model will allow the NSTA to benefit from not just PDi’s decommissioning expertise – but also the specialist knowledge of its project partners Empirisys, Hogarth Energy and Zenith Energy.
Sandy Fettes of Hogarth Energy is a key partner to the IDP team and his input as Wells Technical Authority for the project brings extensive and unparalleled expertise accumulated over three decades encompassing wells, subsurface and HSE – in both contracting and operating environments. Sandy comments on the award: “Hogarth Energy is delighted to be part of this important project as a partner to the IDP team. It is critical time in the well decommissioning space in the UKCS. With the challenges facing both the supply chain and operators, this project will bring a clearer picture of an area plan, outlining risks and mitigations which will help better inform all stakeholders.”
Further well engineering input will be provided by Zenith Energy who bring fully independent and extensive knowledge of wells lifecycles together with extensive experience in well decommissioning. Zenith Energy’s UK Director, Chris Collie, reiterates the significance of this project: “Zenith Energy have extensive experience of well decommissioning in the UKCS covering both surface and subsea wells across their lifecycle. We look forward to utilising this experience as part of this important project for the NSTA and working with the IDP team to deliver this value adding project to the decommissioning sector in the UKCS.”
Empirisys and their team of engineers, process safety experts and data scientists uncover vital intelligence within organisations and are a critical partner on this particular project – given the scale and complexity of data to be analysed. Commenting on working on this nationally significant project, Empirisys’ CEO and co-Founder, Gus Carroll adds: “we are thrilled to be associated with this landmark project. Our deep subject matter expertise in combining complex engineering data with our data science solutions means that we will be able to provide actionable insight for NSTA and the wider industry.”
Echoing the enthusiasm from all stakeholders, Stuart Cochrane, PDi Managing Director comments: “With multiple ongoing decommissioning project management contracts with North Sea Operators that underpins IDP’s expertise and delivery capability, we are delighted that the NSTA has trusted us to deliver this key project that has implications for future North Sea decommissioning campaigns and commitments.”