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News Decommissioning Body Holds First Annual General Meeting
Decom North Sea, the offshore oil & gas decommissioning forum, will host its first Annual General Meeting in Aberdeen on Tuesday, September 14. The supply chain body has experienced steady growth in member numbers from all sectors of the industry and, in response to this, members of the organisation will be voting to elect eight additional directors. The Board is very keen to ensure that Decom North Sea represents the whole of the industry and these new appointments will allow a spread across all sectors of the supply chain. Decom North Sea chief executive Brian Nixon said: "It is very encouraging to see such strong interest and support from the industry. We have received a high level of nominations for the director positions available and, while not everyone can be successful, we are hopeful that we can avail ourselves of their expertise and experience through involvement in some of the specific working groups that are currently being established." Attendance at the AGM at the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa from 11am is open to all members of Decom North Sea. To find out more about this and future events and how to join Decom North Sea contact Sarah Hillyear on 01224 224131 or email shillyear@decomnorthsea.com. Mr Nixon added: “We had a target of 70 members by the end of this year and have surpassed this already. More and more companies in the supply chain are becoming aware that decommissioning work will soon begin to ramp up and now is the time for them to work towards securing projects. "We estimate there is £25-30billion of decommissioning work facing the North Sea over the coming decades and a major part of our role is to work with the supply chain and to stimulate the preparation, collaboration and innovation needed to secure this vital market opportunity." Decom North Sea will hold a programme of events, seminars and share fairs in collaboration with other energy development organisations and government agencies. The activity will cover the north-east, Highlands and Central Belt in Scotland and the north-east and south-east in England where most of the potential supply chain for the decommissioning market is based. Decom North Sea's first major decommissioning industry conference takes place from 5th to 7th October and will be hosted in partnership with Oil & Gas UK. The event will focus on four major themes of decommissioning activity, two of which will be led by Oil & Gas UK with the other two being led by Decom North Sea.
Decommissioning Industry Body Launches Project to Help Supply Chain Win Decommissioning Work
An industry body set up to ensure businesses are ready to secure opportunities from decommissioning work over the coming years will shortly launch a major mapping exercise to help the supply chain benefit from the £25-30billion of North Sea work forecast for the future. The work by Decom North Sea will help promote the capability and capacity of the North Sea supply chain for decommissioning projects, as well as showcasing supply chain companies and their individual expertise and experience. Decom North Sea chief executive Brian Nixon today (Wednesday, August 25) gave details of the project at the major Offshore North Sea (ONS) oil & gas industry exhibition in Stavanger. DNS is attending ONS to attract new members as well as meeting some of the key decommissioning players from Norway to learn of their plans and how the UK supply chain can work with them. He said revealing details of the exercise in Norway underlined the fact industry needed to take a pan-North Sea approach to securing decommissioning projects. He said visitors to the Decom North Sea website would soon be able to quickly and easily identify capability in three areas - the phase of decommissioning, the kind of facilities or infrastructure to be removed, and the specific service and / or technology required. Mr Nixon said providing this level of comprehensive information would help operators find suppliers and contractors with greater ease and provide the supply chain with a highly practical way of accessing opportunities and showcasing their respective decommissioning skills. He added that decommissioning work was forecast to ramp up within the next year or two and, in advance of this intensive period of activity across multiple, complex projects, the industry (operating companies, major contractors, service specialists, technology developers, legal and financial experts, consultants etc.) must work together to learn from, and share, the various experiences that will be earned from the next clutch of decommissioning projects. "To ensure a vibrant and sustainable capability, the industry needs to evolve innovative contracting models, able to stimulate progressive improvements and efficiency gains. A cohesive approach is needed to ensure effective management and mitigation of the various risks - safety; environment; cost; reputation; technical etc. New compensation strategies are also required to provide equitable management of risk and reward, and reasonable returns on investment for operators and contractors alike," said Mr Nixon. As a result, he announced that Decom North Sea has commissioned independent research and analysis of alternative management and contracting models. A research team from Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University is consulting a wide range of senior industry officials before analysing and prioritising their findings. The results of this research and analysis will be discussed and debated at the Decom North Sea / Oil & Gas UK Decommissioning Conference in October. It is hoped that some innovative and progressive options can be identified by this initiative, and that the industry can be encouraged to take them forward for possible adoption in the future decommissioning programme. Mr Nixon said: "There is an expectation that the supply chain will respond with innovation and investment in readiness for the expected uplift in decommissioning activity. If it were possible for supply chain companies and contractors to spread any such investment over more than one project, it is likely that a better business case would result. So the concept of packaging, or clustering, individual decommissioning projects into larger programmes is being pursued as it offers potential benefits to all parties. This needs further research and promotion, and so it is hoped that some scenario planning will illustrate the benefits of such an approach. "And of course it is vitally important that the industry and supply chain is prepared to secure maximum benefit from the wider North Sea programmes, and by doing so becomes recognised globally as a source of decommissioning expertise, in the same way as it is recognised for its strengths with new developments, production optimisation, subsea technologies, asset integrity and similar. "If the issues highlighted here can be addressed in a collaborative manner, the supply chain can look forward to an additional and sustained business opportunity from decommissioning. However if they are not addressed, there is real concern that the industry could lose out on the economic benefit that will accompany these significant expenditures."
Offshore Decommissioning Conference, 5th-7th October 2010
The conference theme is 'Integrating and expanding regional capabilities for decommissioning in the North Sea'. For more information and to register for the event please see - http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/events/event.cfm?frmEventID=370 Decom North Sea members are eligible for a 20% discount off the delegate rate.
New Decommissioning Body Attracting Significant Interest
The chief executive of a new industry body set up to ensure UK businesses are ready to secure opportunities from decommissioning work over the coming years has welcomed strong levels of interest from the oil & gas industry, with new members signing up from a broad range of organisations.
Brian Nixon, chief executive of Decom North Sea (DNS), said there was growing awareness in the industry of the need to secure and maximise economic benefit from the £30billion (approx) workload of decommissioning work facing the North Sea over the next few decades. New members of Decom North Sea include operators, major contractors, service specialists and technology developers. Individual companies to have joined recently include Marathon Oil, BP, Hess, Wood Group, Rotech Subsea, Peterson SBS and Port Services Group. The group has also signed reciprocal agreements with regional energy bodies across Europe to help it reach as many potential members as possible in the UK and further afield. These include NOF Energy, East of England Energy Group, North Scotland Industries Group, IRO (the Association of Dutch Suppliers to the Oil & Gas Industry), Offshore Denmark and the Carbon Energy Club in Belgium. "Our target is to have 70 members by the end of the year and I am confident we will achieve and even surpass this," said Mr Nixon. !We have been extremely encouraged by the results of our membership drive and the welcome we have received from companies who believe we can make a significant difference to their growth ambitions both in the UK and overseas. "The latest market projections agree that the first major lump of decommissioning activity in the North Sea is forecast to ramp up quickly within the next year or two. This emphasises that now is absolutely the right time for Decom North Sea to begin its work with the supply chain, and to stimulate the preparation, collaboration and innovation needed to secure this vital market opportunity. "While we will be aiming to help the supply chain to develop cost reduction techniques in the North Sea initially, our role will include progressively supporting companies in future to export the skills and technologies that result to locations around the world." The membership drive had also been boosted by the appointment of Sarah Hillyear to lead on marketing activity for DNS, building on her previous experience working with the energy industry in roles at AREG (Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group), Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Enterprise. She is currently finalising a programme of events, seminars and share fairs in collaboration with other energy development organisations and government agencies. The activity will cover the north-east, Highlands and Central Belt in Scotland and the north-east and south east in England where most of the potential supply chain for the decommissioning market is based. DNS will also explore further collaborative possibilities and knowledge transfer with potential Norwegian, Dutch and Danish partners. Decom North Sea's first major decommissioning industry conference takes place from 5th to 7th October and will be hosted in partnership with Oil & Gas UK. This two day event will focus on four major themes of decommissioning activity, two of which will be led by Oil & Gas UK with the other two being led by Decom North Sea. Decom North Sea was established as a direct result of industry recommendations to stimulate and support the development of the decommissioning supply chain. Decom North Sea is benefitting from initial financial support from the UK Government's Department of Energy and Climate Change, and from Scotland's two economic development agencies (Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise), but aims to become self-sustainable through membership subscriptions and other sources of revenue. Decom North Sea will focus on working closely with operators and the supply chain to encourage greater collaboration and innovation, and more effective transfer of learning and experience from past and current projects. An area being looked at is packaging a number of decommissioning projects together, to provide a stronger basis for preparation and possible investment in new equipment, people, facilities, joint ventures and similar.
Decommissioning for renewables projects
Decom North Sea chief executive Brian Nixon will focus on the need for developers to build decommissioning into project plans from the outset in a presentation on lessons learned from the oil & gas industry during the Windfarms and Infrastructure session on the Thursday (May 20) afternoon. For further information on the show, visit www.all-energy.co.uk
New Appointment
Decom North Sea has appointed experienced energy industry figure Sarah Hillyear to the post of Marketing Executive. Sarah will build on her previous experience working with the energy industry in roles at AREG (Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group), Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Enterprise Energy Team to play a leading role in the programme of DNS marketing activity.
Decom North Sea Calls on Renewables Sector to Learn Decommissioning Lessons
Brian Nixon, chief executive of Decom North Sea, is taking the message to All Energy 2010, the UK's largest renewables show, taking place in Aberdeen against a backdrop of significant activity in the sector, including licenses being granted for nine vast offshore wind zones within UK waters, containing up to 6,000 turbines. Mr Nixon will cover decommissioning in a presentation on lessons learned from the oil & gas industry during the Windfarms and Infrastructure session on the Thursday (May 20) afternoon. "There is an obligation on offshore wind developers to submit decommissioning plans and demonstrate how they will fund them at the end of project lifespans. Putting together such plans is new to many of them and Decom North Sea can offer support and lessons learned from past experiences in the oil & gas industry. "Where the oil & gas industry did not always think ahead and consider what would happen to installations at the end of their lifespan, the people behind the ongoing wind developments can think about how they are getting infrastructure in place and how it will be taken away afterwards. "By taking this action, they will ensure future projects are truly sustainable and environmentally appropriate, taking costs into the equation." He added: "We are reaching companies that operate in the oil & gas industry with the message that the time is right to start pursuing and preparing for decommissioning opportunities. All Energy gives us a platform to communicate with leading names in the fast-growing renewables sector the benefits of forward-thinking and planning." Decom North Sea was established last year in response to the needs of industry. The body is working to enhance knowledge transfer and facilitate collaborative activities to ensure the UK can capture maximum economic benefit from the £30billion decommissioning workload facing the North Sea over the next few decades. Decom North Sea is finalising a programme of events, seminars and share fairs in collaboration with other energy development organisations and government agencies. The activity will cover the north-east, Highlands and Central Belt in Scotland and the north-east and south east in England where most of the potential supply chain for the decommissioning market is based. The organisation is being funded initially by the UK government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, and plans over the next two years to build up sustainable revenues from events and membership fees For further information on the show, visit www.all-energy.co.uk
Decommissioning for renewables projects
Decom North Sea chief executive Brian Nixon will focus on the need for developers to build decommissioning into project plans from the outset in a presentation on lessons learned from the oil & gas industry during the Windfarms and Infrastructure session on the Thursday (May 20) afternoon. For further information on the show, visit www.all-energy.co.uk
New Appointment
Decom North Sea has appointed experienced energy industry figure Sarah Hillyear to the post of Marketing Executive. Sarah will build on her previous experience working with the energy industry in roles at AREG (Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group), Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Enterprise Energy Team to play a leading role in the programme of DNS marketing activity.
New Decommissioning Body for the North Sea Attending Major Trade Event
Decom North Sea (DNS) was established as a direct result of industry recommendations to stimulate and support the development of the decommissioning supply chain.
Chief Executive Brian Nixon believes the show is an excellent chance to meet leading figures in the industry, many of whom are ideally positioned to lead their companies to additional growth through a share in the forecast £25-30billion of decommissioning activity in the North Sea over the next few decades.
Mr Nixon said: “Offshore assets require to be decommissioned at the end of their economic or productive life under current regulations. With this inevitability, there is growing awareness in the industry of the urgent need to secure and maximise economic benefit from the huge workload facing the North Sea.
"The latest market projections agree that the first major lump of decommissioning activity in the North Sea is forecast to ramp up quickly within the next year or two. This emphasises that now is absolutely the right time for Decom North Sea to begin its work with the supply chain, and to stimulate the preparation, collaboration and innovation needed to secure this vital market opportunity.
"It is important to stress that Decom North Sea has no ambition to accelerate the rate of decommissioning. However, the new organisation does have ambition to stimulate the rate of innovation, collaboration, preparation and learning, and to ensure a vibrant, competent and competitive supply chain able to support and benefit from the forecast £25-£30billion of expenditure over the coming years. Decom North Sea also aims to help grow capacity and capability, promote and showcase key strengths, and, importantly, address gaps or weaknesses identified in the ongoing analysis of the supply chain."
Decom North Sea is benefitting from initial financial support from the UK Government's Department of Energy and Climate Change, and from Scotland's two economic development agencies (Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise), but aims to become self-sustainable through membership subscriptions and other sources of revenue. Membership details were published recently and the initial response from the industry has been excellent, with strong interest being recorded from operators, major contractors, service specialists and technology developers of all sizes and from all corners of the United Kingdom.
Decom North Sea will focus on working closely with operators and the supply chain to encourage greater collaboration and innovation, and more effective transfer of learning and experience from past and current projects. The organisation is promoting the vision of a win-win opportunity for the industry where operators can understand the key strengths and capabilities of the supply chain and how best to access them, and where the supply chain can understand the operators’ challenges and have the opportunity to develop solutions and secure this important business.
Decom North Sea is actively encouraging engagement and membership with companies across the whole of the UK. Regular consultation and networking events will de delivered in the main oil & gas regions, and we hope to also encourage active participation in the various work streams that will be introduced over the summer.
Mr Nixon added: "We believe that some of these aims can be achieved at least in part from the concept of packaging a number of decommissioning projects together, to provide a stronger basis for preparation and possible investment in new equipment, people, facilities, joint ventures and similar.
"Decom North Sea has a very specific role in the oil & gas industry, namely growth and development in the decommissioning supply chain. We clearly recognise the important work underway by other industry organisations including Oil & Gas UK, Subsea UK and others, and close alignment with these partner organisations is essential."
Decom North Sea's first major decommissioning industry conference takes place in October and will be hosted in partnership with Oil & Gas UK. This two day event will focus on four major themes of decommissioning activity, two of which will be led by Oil & Gas UK with the other two being led by Decom North Sea.
New chief executive appointed at Decom North Sea
A mechanical engineer by profession, Mr Nixon (pictured opposite on right) had over 25 years’ oil and gas experience prior to joining SE in 2001, including four years as sales and marketing director with Wood Group Engineering and a secondment to the British Embassy in Luanda, Angola, as First Secretary, Commercial, Oil and Gas.
“Brian emerged as the outstanding candidate in a strong field during a three-month recruitment process, and brings with him a strong blend of private- and public-sector experience,” said Decom North Sea chairman Murdo MacIver, pictured above left.
“He already has a substantial knowledge of the opportunities and challenges of the North Sea decommissioning market, and this will help us accelerate our transfer of practical market intelligence to our members.”
Decom North Sea was formed in April 2009 in direct response to widespread supply chain uncertainty about how to make inroads into the North Sea decommissioning market, which could be worth as much as £25 billion over the next two decades.
With initial funding from the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, Decom North Sea has early plans to attract members across the North Sea region from every sector of the supply chain.
“By its nature, decommissioning can’t be a local business – it has to be packaged on a regional or even international scale, which means we aim to help our members collaborate in new ways and share their practical experience,” said Mr Nixon.
“Our research confirms that North Sea operators want to work with supply chain providers who can demonstrate solid decom experience and an understanding of their needs – and at this stage in the market, there are only a small number of companies in that category.”
“So one of our first tasks – which is already well advanced – is to set up and maintain a computer-based competency database on the 200 service companies and contractors whom we estimate have the ambition and potential to successfully join the supply chain.”
Decom North Sea aims to open its doors to members early in 2010, and is currently working on a programme of events and share fairs in collaboration with other energy development organisations and government agencies.
Membership enquiries are welcome at info@decomnorthsea.com
Decom North Sea holds update presentation at Offshore Europe 4 September 2009 Decom North Sea, the recently-established industry forum for the North Sea decommissioning supply chain, is holding an update presentation event during Offshore Europe in Aberdeen. The directors of the new Aberdeen-based organisation, which was formally established in April 2009, will summarise the progress made in setting up this important new industry initiative. Decom North Sea’s main objective is to help its member companies in the North Sea supply chain to maximise the business opportunities presented by North Sea decommissioning. “Having secured our initial funding, we are now about to move into action mode,” confirms Decom North Sea Chairman Murdo MacIver. “We will shortly be appointing our first chief executive, setting out our membership structure and planning our first events and activities to help companies overcome the current barriers to market entry.” The presentation event, which is open to all delegates at Offshore Europe, is being held at 11am on Thursday 10 Sep 2009 in the Finnie and Wallace function suites at the Holiday Inn Express, adjacent to the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. Decom North Sea gratefully acknowledges the support of the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in staging this event.
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Decom North Sea, the Aberdeen-based industry forum set up during 2009 to maximise the new business opportunities presented by offshore decommissioning, has announced the appointment of its first chief executive, Brian Nixon, former director of Scottish Enterprise’s energy team.