Decommissioning Brent oil and gas platform in the North Sea gives British companies a unique opportunity to develop specialist skills and expertise in safe removal and recycling of oil platforms and pipelines
The domination of the headlines by the oil price and the future of the North Sea acts as a reminder, if we needed one, of the major impact energy has on all our lives. It’s also a reminder that energy comes at a cost that can be high or low, depending on supply and demand.
Securing energy for the future demands huge investment in projects designed to be productive for decades. That’s well known. It’s less well known that as they near the end of their lives, these oil and gas fields must be carefully retired, or decommissioned. This is the scenario that will be playing out in the North Sea in the coming decades, and it requires large investments too.