OIL AND GAS DECOMMISSIONING

When assets, either onshore or offshore, approach the end of their service life, the options for oil
and gas asset decommissioning or lifetime extension should be properly and strongly considered. 
This often involves the performance of a variety of risk, technical hazard, economic and
environmental assessments to determine the path that best meets the ultimate goals and objectives
of the Operator.
When Cessation of Production (CoP) is reached, there are two major considerations that must be
made, which includes:
 Mothballing the plant until decommissioning operations can commence
 Proceed directly to formal decommissioning operations following CoP
Where oil and gas asset decommissioning occurs following a significant period of time in mothballed
state, those facilities will be required to be maintained during the period of mothballing so that SCE
barriers remain live and the eventual dismantling process can take place safely. The facilities
decommissioning process, when and where implemented, should achieve the highest practicable
standards of safety, whilst at the same time realising an optimal balance of technical, environmental,
societal, and economic standards.
There are a number of detailed assessments that are required as part of this decommissioning
process, this should serve to consider the following key priorities:
 To determine if there are any potential further uses for the facilities (i.e. jacket structures,
topsides structures, onshore plant structures, offshore and onshore process plant and all
associated appurtenances) either at the present location or at other potential locations
across the globe
 To examine any and all relevant issues associated with the full removal of the
installation(s) and all associated materials to achieve a clear seabed or to return onshore
land back to green-field use
 To undertake a specific process of comparative assessment to allow authoritative and
comparative evaluation of the complete removal of jacket structure(s) against potential
alternative options (such as partial removal, toppling at site etc.); such considerations,
however, are unique to jacket structures and will not apply to other elements of the
decommissioning scope
 To describe and compare all viable and alternative options for decommissioning and any
associated regulatory obligations that are pertaining thereto
 To define and understand certain areas of decommissioning which may be universally
acknowledged as challenging (such as from decommissioning studies, lessons learned,
guidance and the like)
Oil and Gas Asset Late Life Operations and Decommissioning
AIE proactively supports its clients to navigate the technical and regulatory complexities of late-life
operations through to formal decommissioning.  We recognise that Operators are faced with the
conflicting challenges in present-day uncertain market conditions of maximizing economic
hydrocarbon recovery, set against a back drop of high oil price volatility and low oil prices generally,
with CoP and asset decommissioning becoming a more realistic prospect within the forthcoming
period.
We understand that decommissioning operations, in particular, require significant capital
investment with very little or no real return for Operators. We also recognise that there are a
number of options available to Operators when faced with decommissioning, as are summarised in
the illustration below for offshore plant.  However, irrespective of the options that are chosen, there
are a number of requirements that must be properly satisfied:
The decommissioning options that are currently available to Operators are numerous and may be
visualised with reference to the flowchart below, which serves to show the high-level options for
decommissioning of offshore facilities. However, irrespective of the type of plant or facility to be
decommissioned, AIE contends that choosing pragmatic approaches are of paramount importance;
in this regard, we see derogation as just one of the options that we may propose when devising the
most appropriate economic and ecologically acceptable ways in which decommissioning may be
accomplished.
Our Promise
AIE works to provide robust but specifically tailored services which help our Clients to proactively
manage their planned plant decommissioning works; this serves to provide significant cost savings,
improve project efficiency, risk reduction, and maximises safety during the decommissioning
process.
We work to solve the significant challenges that will be faced during decommissioning:

We have a long and established track record in the management of facilities integrity, in lifetime
extension assessment, of plant mothballing and/or preservation methods and in late life operations;
these key service areas are used as the basis for reverse engineering to affect the removal of either
individual vessels or systems or entire installations with multiple process systems, ensuring an
efficient and smooth process throughout the decommissioning cycle.