What goes up must come down: in this instance it’s the gargantuan rigs that have spent their entire lives extracting oil and gas from the remotest parts of the North Sea.
In fact, decommissioning these giants could make up almost one fifth of all expenditure off Scotland’s coast within ten years, according to the latest Oil and Gas UK Decommissioning Insight report.
Spending totalled £1.2 billion in 2016 – that’s seven per cent of total UKCS expenditure – but the report says this will rise to £1.8 billion this year, remaining at around £1.7 billion to £2 billion annually.
That means by 2025 at least £17 billion will have been spent on dismantling.
With only 10 per cent of platforms and less than 5 per cent of pipelines having been transformed back into their component parts to date – and with 349 fields lined up to enter this stage between 2017 and 2025 – the industry body believes the UK could soon become a world leader in taking things apart.
And, as more and more equipment comes to the end of its working life, decommissioning assets will be a major growth area for oil and gas jobs.
Many different roles will be needed, including civil, structural, mechanical and marine engineers, divers, support and supply vessel crews, and, of course, project managers.
Safety needs, both at sea and on land, also mean that safety consultants, engineers and HSE advisors will be expected to step up to the plate.
With talent in such demand, the report is quick to point out: “The UK supply chain is in a good position to develop the requisite skillset and experience to form an international centre of excellence in decommissioning, with the opportunity to export its expertise.”
And, according to Mike Tholen, of Oil and Gas UK: “We face an exciting future. What we do now to build a decommissioning capability in the UK will reap rewards for years to come.”
Did someone say rewards? Yes, from the original retrieval of a rig through to clean-up, heavy lifting and transportation, then the final disposal, there could be lucrative career opportunities – so why not bring your talents into play right now with a new role in the oil and gas sector from s1jobs?