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Michael Else

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  Decommissioning Activities

Photo of sea life habitat beneath platform structure.
Sea life habitat beneath platform structure.                                   

The MMS defines decommissioning as the process of ending oil, gas, or sulphur operations and returning the lease or pipeline right-of-way to a condition that meets the requirements of the regulations. The MMS works to ensure that the following decommissioning obligations can be technically and financially met when facilities are no longer needed:

    Plug wells to prevent pollution;
    Decommission pipelines to prevent
        seepage of hydrocarbons and to
        minimize conflicts with other uses of
        the OCS; and
    Clear sites of obstructions to minimize
        use conflicts.

Photo of per-decommission diver inspection.
Per-decommission diver inspection.
   

Decommissioning activities are an important part of OCS activities. Nearly 4,000 active platforms exist in the OCS, one quarter of which are over 25 years old and in sight    of the end for their designed service life. Industry is removing approximately 100 platforms each year with removals nearly equaling the number of new installations. In most cases in the OCS, upon removal of a platform, the topsides that contain the operational components are taken to shore  for recycling or re-use. The substructure is generally severed below the mudline, removed, cleaned, and brought to shore to sell as scrap for recycling or refurbished to  be installed at another location.

Another option, used for about 10 percent of the removed structures, is to tow and install the structure to an approved artificial reef site using the criteria in the National Artificial Reef Plan as permitted by U.S. Federal agencies. The U.S. State government agency responsible for managing marine fisheries resources manages the program. The MMS supports and encourages the reuse of obsolete offshore petroleum structures as artificial reefs in US waters.

Photo of Lift of platform jacket during  decommissioning operations.
 
Lift of platform jacket during  decommissioning operations.

However, the structure must not pose an unreasonable impediment to future mineral development. Also, the reuse plan must comply with the artificial reef permitting requirements of the Corps of Engineers and the criteria in the National Artificial Reef Plan. The state agency responsible for managing marine fisheries resources must accept liability for the structure before MMS will release the Federal lessee from obligations  in the lease instrument. As appropriate,  MMS may facilitate cooperation between Federal lessees and other state and Federal agencies concerning the reuse of the structure. The MMS will share information with others concerning the environmental, social and economic consequence of reusing the structure as an artificial reef.

The MMS, in it's update of the decommissioning regulations, incorporated comments from the proposed regulation published in the Federal Register on July 7, 2000, (65 FR 41892), and comments supplied at International Decommissioning Workshops including the following:

bullet International Association of Oil and Gas Producers Workshop in Houston, Texas on September 27-28, 2000.
 
bullet International Workshop on Offshore Lease Abandonment and Platform Disposal in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 15-17,1996 sponsored by the MMS and Louisiana State University. Project 234.
 
bullet Decommissioning of Oil and Gas Facilities Offshore California Workshop, Ventura, California, September 23-25, 1997, sponsored by MMS and the California State Lands Commission. Project 270.
 
Challenges lie ahead for the platform removals from the OCS, particularly for those large platforms (> 10,000 tons) located in deeper waters. The water depth, lack of local infrastructure, marine environment, limited availability of equipment, and regulatory constraints are all challenges to be worked through. The MMS is evaluating these challenges through its research program.

Future Decommissioning Research:

bullet Methods to improve operational safety of personnel through policy, procedures and equipment improvements. The MMS TAR program remains attentive to materials and systems technology that
 
  1. reduces or eliminates vessel assisted lifting and transport (i.e., buoyancy assisted towing support) and
     
  2. improves or replaces bulk-charge explosives (i.e., engineered (lower charge) explosives or hydraulic assisted cutters).
     
bullet Recognizing the challenge facing removal of larger facilities now being constructed, analysis of platform and pipeline removal operations is expected to address the
 
  1. lack of large scale vessels, equipment, and onshore handling facilities and
     
  2. structures disposal alternatives such as the Artificial Reef Program that has been shown to enhance fish populations and reduce shoreline deterioration.

For more information, please email Michael Else.
 
Decommissioning Projects
025 Overpressures Developed by Shaped Explosive Charges Used to Remove Wellheads
044 Environmental Effects of Wellhead Removal by Explosives
112 Project Cancelled
118 Blast Effects Upon the Environment from the Removal of Platform Legs by Explosives
232 Investigation of New Techniques for Abandonment of Offshore Structures
234 Lease Abandonment: Technology, Environmental Effects and Regulation (Lease Abandonment Workshop)
267 Development, Testing and Evaluation of an Explosive Shock Wave Focusing Tool with Minimum Explosive Weight
270 Decommissioning of Oil and Gas Facilities Offshore California Workshop
329 Risk Assessment of Temporarily Abandoned or Shut-in Wells
337 Project Cancelled
352 Assessment of Current Pipeline Flushing and Decommissioning Requirements - Research and Field Testing
355 Using Satellite Radar Imagery to Detect Leaking Abandoned Wells on the U.S. OCS
372 State of the Art of Removing Large Platforms Located in Deep Water
429 Oil Platform Removal Using Engineered Charges:  In Situ Comparison of Engineered and Bulk Explosive Charges
459 Comparative Risk Assessment of the Decommissioning Options for Large Platforms in the POCSR
480 An Assessment of Safety, Risks and Costs Associated with Subsea Pipeline Removals
537 A Study of Underwater Gaseous Explosions
570 Measurement of the Effect of Depth Below Mudline of Charge Placement During EROs
600 A Review and Update of Supplemental Bonding Requirements in the Gulf of Mexico

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Last Updated: 01/31/2008, 05:05 PM

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