Delivery of industry best practice guidance on the management and maintenance of the integrity of upstream Oil & Gas equipment and structures taken out of service — published by The Energy Institute under ISBN 978 1 78725 124 3.
With a significant number of North Sea Oil & Gas assets ageing and approaching end of productive life, operators faced a requirement to plan and execute decommissioning and mothballing activities. The Energy Institute identified a gap in structured, accessible industry guidance covering best practice for these activities. The HSE's focus on asset integrity (KP3) and ageing and life extension (KP4) added regulatory urgency to the need for clear, consistent guidance across the UKCS upstream sector.
Optimal was engaged by The Energy Institute to provide technical writing and editing services, working with the UK Energy Institute Aging and Life Extension Committee (ALECOM). Optimal brought together a team of subject matter experts and worked collaboratively with industry representatives to develop a comprehensive guidance document covering all equipment, facilities and structures found in the UKCS upstream Oil & Gas industry. The document addressed both temporary and permanent cessation scenarios.
The guidance document was published in 2019 and is available across the industry as a reference standard for decommissioning and mothballing practice in the UKCS upstream Oil & Gas sector. Optimal's contribution demonstrated its capability to work at the industry standards level, collaborating with regulatory bodies and operator representatives to codify best practice.