Firms launch oil decommissioning partnership

FOUR engineering firms, Costain, Axis Well Technology, BMT Cordah and DNV GL, have formed a consortium to offer oil and gas decommissioning services on the UK continental shelf (UKCS).

The consortium, Integrated DECOM, will offer an approved decommissioning programme, including front end engineering and environmental services, covering the entire scope of a decommissioning project from subsurface work to surface structures. The four companies have 20 years of experience and say that the consortium is an 'industry first'.

'The companies within Integrated DECOM bring complementary, critical technical skills which are required to plan and deliver compliant and cost effective decommissioning. This unique combined knowledge ensures that every solution will be considered in a comparative assessment process, delivering a lower risk and cost decommissioning outcome for owners and stakeholders,' said Frazer Mackay, oil and gas director of Costain, which is leading the consortium.

According to Oil and Gas UK, UK companies are expected to spend £16.9bn (US$21bn) on decommissioning from 2015–24. Over the next decade, 79 platforms will require removal within UK waters and 1,200 wells will be plugged and abandoned.