Shell’s announcement that it is to decommission North Sea oil platform could open up an opportunity for carbon capture and storage (CCS)
Such was the shock of the oil price’s precipitous decline in recent months that tongues were swiftly set wagging about what the explanation could be. Killing off electric vehicles, US shale producers, or Iran’s and Russia’s economies, were all put forward as the real reason behind OPEC’s public explanation that keeping the taps open and so depressing prices is about protecting market share.
But regardless of what’s behind it, one consequence has been big cuts in North Sea oil exploration and the accelerated decommissioning of related infrastructure. Shell’s recent announcement that it is to begin decommissioning the Brent Delta platform, weighing 23,500 tonnes and standing higher than the Eiffel Tower (pdf), is one example of this.
Related: Shell plans demise of Brent Delta platform