Ahead of the publication of its 2024 Decommissioning Insight, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has stated that operators need to plug 200 abandoned North Sea oil and gas wells a year in order to stay on top of targets.
This will be among the findings of the new report which seeks to detail the challenge facing the region’s energy industry. Multiple changes to the tax regime are causing continuing economic and fiscal uncertainly which has damaged activity levels. These goalposts are set to remain on the move following the Chancellors Autumn statement later this month.
Despite these setbacks, OEUK has said that the report will also showcase the expertise and capabilities of the UK decommissioning industry which is helping to turn this challenge into a more manageable task.
It will reportedly outline that stable government policy can help support the decommissioning industry in the UK and prevent multi-million pound contracts go elsewhere. A successful approach here could secure the future of thousands of skilled UK jobs for decades to come.
OEUK decommissioning manager Ricky Thomson said: “Operators must continue to sanction projects and the supply chain must remain resilient and competitive. The energy transition has decommissioning at its heart and sharing cross-sector information and expertise is crucial. I have no doubt we can make this happen.”
The report will be released at OEUK’s 2024 Decommissioning Conference in St Andrews, Scotland from 18-20 November.
