Global Review of Decommissioning Planning and Execution Learnings

After decades of operations a growing volume of Australia’s oil and gas infrastructure is approaching the end of its productive life, leading to a significant forecast ramp-up in decommissioning activity in the next decade and continuing for decades to come. With only a relatively small volume of offshore decommissioning projects undertaken to date, there is significant opportunity to look to more mature regions to leverage learnings, best practices, initiatives, and approaches that could potentially be applied in the Australian context.

This report identifies key learnings from comparable jurisdictions which could be applied in Australian to inform improved planning and execution of future decommissioning projects, informing CODA and the broad Australian decommissioning industry on:

• Proven outcomes e.g. approaches, initiatives or projects that have contributed to improved outcomes in other jurisdictions to plan and execute decommissioning.
• Innovative and opportunistic approaches to decommissioning activities, or the application of new technologies.
• Examples of positive regulatory approval outcomes that have been achieved through collaboration and efficiency.
• Risks which have been identified in comparable jurisdictions relating to decommissioning planning and execution.
• International experience with full removal or in-situ decommissioning of infrastructure, and the instruments and evidence that support these decision-making frameworks.
• International experience with the process of relinquishing a petroleum title, including associated requirements and precedents or case studies relating to long-term monitoring of in-situ assets.

Undertaken by Advisian, this report provides an understanding of how global efficiencies have been realised in decommissioning relating to early planning for design and execution, and also effective utilisation of the long-term approval window in terms of innovation, collaboration and technologies.

The full version of this report as well as the other reports in the series is available to CODA partner members. To find out more email contact@decommissioning.org.au.