Decommissioning Centre of Excellence set for North East
The multi-million pound facility based at the University of Aberdeen’s Oceanlab will open later this year
The Oil and Gas industry continues to turn negatives into positives, with plans for a multi-million pound Decommissioning Centre of Excellence in the North East. The joint venture between University of Aberdeen and The Oil & Gas Technology Centre will be a global hub for research and development, as the sector seeks to capitalise on the downturn.
In the next ten years, it’s estimated around 100 platforms and 7,500 kilometres of pipeline on the UK Continental Shelf will be wound up – with the cost of decommissioning forecast at £59million up to 2050.
The Oil and Gas Authority wants to bring these costs down – and that’s the aim of the new centre, to develop cost-effective strategies in the hope it will help the industry thrive and boost the decommissioning industry in the UK.
Colette Cohen, CEO at The Oil & Gas Technology Centre said the facility will fundamentally change the way we think about decommissioning, and will need the sector to rally round to ensure it achieves its aims:
“Involvement from companies in oil and gas and other sectors is critical to our success. We are now seeking industry partners with experience, ideas and equipment, who want to co-invest with us to deliver a step change in performance.”
Professor Mike Greaves, Senior Vice-Principal, University of Aberdeen said it’s a world first:
“The new Centre of Excellence is an exciting opportunity to build a world-class research and development facility right here in the nort-east of Scotland, and we are looking forward to helping develop the innovation, expertise and skills that will play an important role in the future of the industry both here and internationally.”
The new facility based at the University of Aberdeen’s Oceanlab will open later this year. Recruitment opens soon, with an initial team of fifteen to be taken on.
Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said:
“The Scottish Government, through investing up to £250million in the Aberdeen City Region Deal, alongside the UK Government, is committed to working alongside this innovative and dynamic sector to establish a Decommissioning Centre of Excellence and to supporting the supply chain here in Scotland."