CODA visits AF Gruppen Vats decommissioning facility

As part of its recent visit to Europe CODA coordinated a site visit to the AF Gruppen environmental base in Vats used for decommissioning and dismantling.

The visit was hosted by Graeme Fergusson, Trond Vidar Skår and John Roger Midtun and comprised a delegation of representatives from the WA Government department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI), Development WA, a number of Australian operators and technology suppliers.

The visit included an overview of the facility, its history and accomplishments to date as well as a tour of the yard and support buildings. The tour afforded the delegation the opportunity to fully understand the complexity of dismantling retired oil and gas facilities in a sustainable and environmentally conscious manner, with the facility achieving in excess of 98 percent recycling of materials by weight and providing a full environmental report on the provenance of all materials received.

Through visiting facilities such as the AF Gruppen environmental base, CODA and its partners and building a better understanding of the requirements for Australia to best prepare for its coming volumes of decommissioning. Undertaking large scale dismantling in an environmentally sensitive manner requires appropriate infrastructure, and such infrastructure needs to be in place ready for when it is needed.

CODA at ONS 2022

CODA CEO Francis Norman and Project and Engagement Manager Samara Groves attended the 2022 ONS conference in Stavanger, Norway as part of the Western Australian delegation.
Rebecca Brown speaking at ONS 2022
Rebecca Brown speaking at ONS 2022

The delegation was led by the Director General of the WA Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI), Rebecca Brown and included a number of representatives from other parts of the WA Government along with representatives from operator companies, suppliers and universities.

Attending ONS provided numerous opportunities for CODA to network with others attending the conference, including technology companies from across Europe, and operators from many different regions. Also attending the conference were a number of Norwegian energy sector clusters with interests in decommissioning, giving CODA the opportunity to compare ideas and markets as well as continue to grow its global network.

Australia briefing at ONS
Australia briefing at ONS

As part of the conference, Francis Norman joined the Australian Ambassador to Denmark, Norway and Iceland Ms Kerin Ayyalaraju, Rebecca Brown and VoulaTerzoudi of Woodside in delivering the Australian country briefing. The briefing was hosted by Tore Moe of NORWEP who also provided an overview of areas of the Australian market