The Centre for Decommissioning Australia (CODA) has launched three Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on hazardous materials management, well abandonment and decommissioning project management to support industry and stakeholder collaboration on priority decommissioning challenges and opportunities.
Established in response to industry feedback, these inaugural SIGs are designed to provide a forum to deepen engagement across the sector and support knowledge sharing, capability development, and integrated approaches. Each group is guided by a committee drawn from industry participants, and supported by a CODA representative. Meetings are held approximately every two months and focus on reviewing developments in the SIGs' focus areas, sharing insights, and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
The SIGs are as follows:
Hazardous materials management
Focusing on best-practice hazardous materials management and lifecycle approaches to contaminants commonly encountered during decommissioning. The group will work to strengthen links between operators, the supply chain, regulators, and industry bodies, while promoting education, sharing of experience, and diverse perspectives.
Well abandonment
Promoting safety, innovation, and efficiency in support of sustainable, world-class well P&A operations in both onshore and offshore contexts. Current areas of focus include:
• Improved approaches to regulator engagement and barrier technology qualification
• Establishing an independent industry body that can act as a conduit for and accelerator of new ideas and alternative approaches
• Alignment of offshore and onshore industry sectors to foster cross-learning and explore lower cost verification and testing environments
• Broader knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement
Decommissioning project management
Exploring challenges and opportunities in planning and executing decommissioning projects, drawing from global and local experience. Focus areas include:
• Benchmarking cost and schedule
• Contracting strategy
• Risk management and regulatory engagement
• Approaches to managing decommissioning market volatility
Membership is currently open to personnel from all CODA Partners, with several organisations already involved.
